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LOO LIFE: 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS 



BY 

PARKER GILLMORE, 



AUTHOR OF 

PRAIRIE AND FOBEST," "GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE," "AFLOAT AND ASHORE, 

" ALL ROUND THE "WORLD," " A HUNTER'S ADVENTURES IN THE 

FAR WEST," "PRAIRIE FARMS AND PRAIRIE FOLKS," 

" ACCESSIBLE FIELD SPORTS," &C. 



in two volume: 
VOL. I. 



LONDON: 

CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY 
1875. 



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TO 

EMILY 

I DEDICATE THIS WORK, 

WITHOUT WH03I THE REMAINDER OF MY EXISTENCE WOULE> 

TRULY BE 

A LONE LIFE. 



Atlantic Club, 
Buckingham Palace Road. 



LONE LIFE: 

A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 



CHAPTER I. 

In the month of October, on a peculiarly English 
day, dull, raw, damp, and dirty, I set sail from Liver- 
pool. There was just sufficient swell on the bar to 
send half the passengers to their bunks, and make 
brandy and soda in great request among the re- 
mainder. 

When outside, the timid expressed themselves in 
strong terms against the utter disregard for life pos- 
sessed by nautical men, in going to sea in such wea- 
ther, the objects of their indignation looking rosy, 
energetic, and far from conscious that they were 
likely soon to become food for fishes. 

VOL. I. B 






2 LONE LIFE: 

The further we retreated from the shores of Old 
England the heavier became the seas, and the winds 
piped up in proportion ; but in spite of a Tripoli being 
smashed on the coast of Ireland, a City of Boston foun- 
dering in mid ocean, and the Atlantic having knocked 
herself into a cocked-hat on Nova Scotia, nothing 
occurred to break the monotony of our voyage, un- 
less a mania for draw-poker, and a lottery epidemic, 
both of which were most virulent and general, cold 
water being the sole application that appeared to act 
as a mitigator, for it was only while a blue sea 
was knocking about the furniture in the smoking- 
room, that any cessation in these maladies became 
noticeable. 

Some inhabitants of London escaped the sting of 
the plague, neither was Egypt entirely depopulated 
by the same disease, so we had on board a few that 
were not affected by the prevailing disorders. These 
were generally young men who dreamt of collisions 
by night and thought of shipwrecks by day, who 
nearly went off their legs from horror when a weather- 
beaten salt was more forcible than polite in language, 
or listened with elongated pious face and upturned 
eyes to the latest and raciest of jokes. 

But in spite of croakers and predictors of evil, 
Sandy Hook was sighted at sunrise ; in a few hours 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 3 

afterwards New York was gained, and our Trans- 
atlantic passage was completed within eleven days. 

A bath, change of clothes, and good dinner at Del- 
monico's took away my sea-legs, and caused me to feel 
as free from fatigue as if I had not been submitted 
to greater exertion than a stroll down Regent-street. 

The metropolis of the Western World has been so 
often described that I will not inflict the reader with 
one word upon the subject further than say that it 
looked none the less busy than in former times, and 
that the numerous new buildings that had been 
erected were well worthy to grace any city in the 
universe. 

My desire is to escape the bustle and din of traffic, 
to get where the puffing of locomotives, and the 
sonorous yell of the steam whistle has not penetrated 
— to be surrounded by the works of Nature, not 
those of man. 

To accomplish this in the most rapid and agreeable 
manner, I take passage via the Hudson River Rail- 
road to Lewiston by way of Albany, for to the North 
— the far-distant North, region of lakes and rivers, of 
boundless woods and barrens, of deep winter snows 
and nightless days — is my destination. 

When the conveyance deposits me at the train, and 
the hurry and bustle of securing my ticket and check- 
B2 



4 LONE LIFE: 

ing my baggage has passed, I feel that I have earned 
the right to take notice of the different sights that 
surround me, foremost among which is an immense 
board with the novel information indited upon it, 
" When you hear the bell look out for the locomo- 
tive." And scarcely had I commenced to puzzle my 
brain on this gratuitous hint, than a most discordant 
din caused me to look forth from my car, when I found 
out that it was a warning to clear the track and give 
place to the advance of the powerful steam horse. 

For miles we thread streets bounded on both sides 
by populous dwellings, still not a rope or ditch sepa- 
rates the railway from other traffic, yet troops of 
children on either side play at the various games most 
in vogue among the rising generation of the Great 
Republic. Doting mothers here, I think, must have 
an anxious time. Still, I must confess, I did not see 
any excited females rushing about to look after their 
progeny. The truth of the matter is simply this : at 
the age English hopefuls would be in perambulators, 
or at any event under charge of a nursery-maid, 
these embryo western citizens are able to take care of 
themselves. 

By degrees dwellings become less numerous and 
more irregular in style of architecture, and our pace 
increases to fifteen miles an hour, soon affording us 
a view of the glorious Hudson River, and of the 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 5 

rocky wood-clad heights that surround it. Of all 
seasons of the year this is the one to see this locality 
in perfection, for although never otherwise than beau- 
tiful, it is now indescribably lovely, recalling far more 
visions of dreamland than stern reality. As we ad- 
vance every bend and turn disclose fresh attractions, 
till the brain becomes bewildered in its embarrassment 
of riches. 

Six or seven hours under ordinary circumstances 
in a train, is certainly monotonous, but in this in- 
stance it is not so, for the mind has never been with- 
out food for thought, or the eye objects of admiration. 

At length we halt opposite to Albany, city of canal- 
boats and machine shops, and the greater portion of 
our passengers hurry off to reach the ferry-boat that is 
waiting to convey them to its legislative shades, for 
know this is the capital of the State, and carpet- 
baggers, button-holers, and place-hunters haunt their 
friends in office, as mosquitoes would an intruder into 
a swamp. 

At length newspaper boys, hackmen, and hotel 
touts are got rid of, the deep bass whistle grunts a 
warning, the bell again commences its measured 
tinkle, and the train is once more under motion. 

Troy is the next place where a halt takes place ; in 
size, go-aheadism, and wealth it outshines Albany. To 
carefully survey the people, and form an estimate of 



6 LONE LIFE: 

them from their manner, you would find it difficult 
to decide whether they thought New York city should 
be proud of them, or they proud of New York city. 
No, the Trojans have no small estimate of them- 
selves, and in their time have produced some well- 
known characters. Heenan, the prize-fighter, hailed 
from here, and its youth of the present generation 
take as much interest in the fraternity , as the clog- 
booted natives of Oldham would in a kicking match 
where one of the contestants was a stranger, and wore 
on his extremities pumps. To a native of the city of 
New York, Albany and Troy are " one-horse places," 
in their own opinion they are " a four-in-hand, and 
nothing less." 

Again the tinkle tinkle of the bell tolls the hour 
for departure, and the train commences to move ; still 
the bustle and confusion does not cease, for new 
arrivals are still seeking for seats, and friends bidding 
adieu are loth to part, but our speed continues to 
increase, the last moment for disembarkation has 
arrived, and in spite of the probabilities of broken 
legs and heads, all the non-travellers disembark 
safely, at least I did not hear of any casualties. 

After leaving Troy, the Hudson is crossed, still a 
grand river, although a hundred and fifty miles from 
its mouth, and our course takes us through a lovely 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 7 

country, rivalling in scenery the sunny slopes and 
hazel-covered brows of Shropshire. 

Then the Mohawk River is reached, and for miles 
we retain it in view. Its varied banks, dark pools, 
murmuring rapids, possess many attractions, and not 
the least among them being the thrifty, clean, neat 
farm-houses everywhere to be seen,.smiling forth from 
luxuriant orchard or hardwood grove. But the iron 
horse does not linger, and fresh scenes present them- 
selves, the surface of the country becoming more 
level, the cultivation more thorough, till a vast district 
is entered, which for extent and fruitfulness it would 
be difficult to find a rival. No one can doubt that 
such is the case who uses his sio;ht, for handsome 
dwelling-houses, immense barns,] well-stocked stack- 
yards, are never out of view, while droves of well- 
fed, aye, and well-bred cattle, feed on every pasture 
field and meadow. 

A hundred years ago this was a wilderness. The 
primeval forest alone tenanted the land, and the beasts 
of the chase, with the exception of a few scattered 
tribes of Indians, were the sole animal life it sup- 
ported. What better proof of the industry and 
energy of a great and free people can we desire, 
than such a wonderful transformation as has been 
here effected ? 



8 LONE LIFE: 

As daylight fades away, moonlight takes its place ; 
and such a moon ! none of your washy crescent-shaped 
nondescripts, but almost a rival in size and power to 
the sun. 

Not that America possesses another or a better 
moon than we do, yet there are times in which she 
shows to greater advantage on the Western Continent 
than ever I have known her in England. 

The change of light does not prevent a good view 
of the country being obtained, for when Cayuga and 
Geneva lakes are passed, the distant boats, and more 
distant villas, can easily be distinguished. 

Travelling to me at night always appears more 
expeditious than by day. So when the crowd of 
baggage men and hotel touts crowd on board the 

DO O 

cars before reaching the city of Rochester, I wonder 
how it is possible that the train has run so far. 

But if for a moment I imagine some mistake has 
been made, that it is another town we are approach- 
ing, the deep dark abyss of the Genesse Falls, the 
towering flour mills, and the size of the station, set 
the matter at rest for ever. 

Here I change carriages, Lewiston on Lake Ontario 
being my destination, for those I have come thus 
far in are bound for Buffalo. 

After granting sufficient grace to enable me to 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 9 

scald myself with a cup of coffee, the warning hell 
commences to tinkle, and disgusted with its mono- 
tonous tin-pot note, for I had not taken a liking to 
it from the commencement, I scramble into a seat, 
not without having to use considerable energy and 
force, for like myself many others had delayed to 
the last moment, and had no more idea of being left 
behind than your humble servant. All is said to be 
fair in love and war ; I imagine that it is deemed 
so in trying to get into a train in America, after it 
has got under way. 

After leaving Rochester the country is none the 
less rich than heretofore, wheat being the staple pro- 
duction, while fruit is cultivated to a great extent ; 
in fact, the apples from this district cannot be sur- 
passed, and are a large source of revenue to the 
farmer. The moon is still high in the heavens, so I 
can see for miles. The ridge in the distance is the 
commencement of elevated spurs, denominated the 
Bear Ridges, for at one time the bruin family were so 
numerous on them, that they constituted a large por- 
tion of the early settlers' food ; but, alas ! they have 
ceased to know what was once their home, and the 
only- return the sportsman would find for his labour, 
who tramped over these wood-clad plateaus, would 
be abundance of woodcock, who, strange to say, 



10 LONE LIFE: 

have only discovered this favourite feeding ground 
within a few years. 

Lockport is next reached, well meriting the name? 
for its locks are deserving of the greatest admiration' 
they being not only large, but admirably constructed. 
Their elevation and number I cannot say, still both 
are very great. Many years ago I resided near this 
thriving place of business : then it was only a vil- 
lage, and land was to be purchased within a few 
miles of its precincts for fifteen dollars an acre. 
After making the American coin into pounds sterling, 
I doubt if a square foot could now be bought be- 
tween the canal and Lake Ontario. 

On leaving the last-mentioned station, farm-yards, 
orchards, and woodlands are passed in pleasant suc- 
cession, and ultimately the train slowly enters 
Lewiston, the termination of the first part of my 
journey, a pretty town situated upon the banks of 
the Niagara Kiver, where it mingles its waters with 
blue Ontario. The dinner gong had sounded before 
I left my bedroom, for being constructed in pretty 
much the same mould as other mortals, I was sensible 
of the fatigue of yesterday's journey ; however, the 
delay till next morning, when I should catch the 
steamer for Toronto, was of little moment, so I killed 
the enemy, time, by wandering about the fort and 
bastions that once had possessed no small amount of 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 11 

importance. Like all garrison towns, there is an 
aristocratic tone about, id est, if the military element 
is not overdone, but only sufficient of it to give the 
slightest spice to society — for like garlic in cooking, 
admirable when not abused, the reverse when over- 
done. 

The life of the officers of the United States regular 
service stationed here, I should think much resembled 
what it used to be in Great Britain in the good old 
days of four company depots, before rifle drill, 
scaling drill, depot battalions, and ever so many more 
devices were invented by a lot of feather-bed, bad- 
tempered, stay-at-home, theoretical and not practical 
old fools, for the worry and annoyance of those whose 
value in the field in case of war was without 
price. 

Before me, as I write, looking back into the log- 
book of memory, I can see a General who never 
saw a shot fired in his life except at a review, 
bullying to death an old subaltern, whose brow was 
tanned with years of service on the plains of India, 
whose stalwart figure bore many a scar, and whose 
heart beat under numerous medals — because why? 
he had made a mistake in his addition, and forgot 
the weight of a bayonet. As long as the door of the 
Horse Guards is open to sycophants and the rela- 
tives of politicians, whose influence has to be bought 



12 * LONE LIFE: 

over, such things will exist, and thus we lose year by 
year men, one of whom would be of more use to 
the country than a brigade of the others. 

In due time the steam-boat for Toronto sailed. 
Ontario was on her good behaviour, and looked as 
blue and calm as the Bay of Naples in midsummer, 
when not a breath of air moves with sufficient force 
to swell the lateen-rigged crafts that sleep upon its 
placid bosom. A few hours and our destination is 
reached. Changed from when I last saw it, yes, changed 
indeed, for dwellings and structures have risen where 
formerly nothing but waste common could be seen. 

The old hotel, its name now forgotten, had given 
place to a structure worthy of any capital, but the 
change is acceptable, for the promise of creature 
comfort is greater than in days gone by, and while 
within the pale of civilisation, there are few fonder 
of luxury than self. 

The difference between cities of the United States 
and Canada is very conspicuous, although both 
adopt the same styles of architecture ; from this rea- 
son it is difficult to describe — the nearest simile that 
strikes me at the moment being, the former repre- 
sents the strong man under the flush of a stimulant, 
the latter the same person under the effects of a 
powerful opiate. 

Citizens of the Dominion may feel indignant at 



A YEAE IX THE WILDERNESS. 13 

what I have said ; my answer is, that I do not see 
through the eyes of an untravelled fellow-citizen, but 
through those of a cosmopolitan. 

Judging from the appearance of the principal 
streets at the fashionable hours of the afternoon, 
there was no scarcity of well-to-do, well-dressed, 
educated people ; but if I am not mistaken society 
here is cut up into cliques, ever the bugbear of plea- 
sant reunions, but where you have professionals and 
government employes, a largely represented mer- 
cantile community unless possessed of unbounded 
means and lavish in their hospitality, are certain to 
be looked down upon by that high class of society 
who serve their country for nominal salaries, which, 
however, I have never known them neglect to draw — 
possibly to give away in charity. 

As I was going into a handsome shop I ran against 
a straight-haired, clean-shaved, smug, well-fed look- 
ing man, with a length of skirt to his coat almost 
rivalling an " Ulster ;" he wore a white neck-tie, and 
I observed that the buttons on his outer garment were 
concentrated in a very close single file down the front. 
The fault was not mine, for I had my eyes straight 
to my front ; he, on the other hand, was approaching 
the door, although his head was turned on one side 
to give a parting word of instruction to the shopman. 
Both being tolerably broad and stout we collided ; 



14 LONE LIFE: 

not that any injury was done, for the prominent por- 
tions of both were soft — very soft, I should say. Of 
course I raised my hat and murmured a word of 
apology, expecting a return of the courtesy. How- 
ever, I was deceived in this nice-looking man — ap- 
pearances, we all know, are deceptive — for with 
rather a knock-me-down air he gruffly exclaimed, 
" Can't you look where you're going, sir V 9 If I were 
not a most peaceable person, I believe I should have 
answered him in his own coin or trod on his toes. Out 
of curiosity I asked from the shopman this polite gen- 
tleman's name and profession. I fear he must have 
made a mistake, or thought I alluded to some one else, 
for he said, " That is" — well it is better to leave out the 
name — " a high dignitary of the Church." We have 
had jovial Father Tom Maguire, of coursing cele- 
brity, also many a parson who could ride across 
country or whip a salmon river with all competitors, 
aye, and preach on Sunday a good orthodox sermon 
beside, but I never met a teacher of humility with 
less of the quality in his eye or bearing than this 
Dominion example of lowness of heart and humble- 
ness of spirit. In every fold it is said that a black 
sheep exists, and this was doubtless that one; but 
why in earth, when the matter is so easy, don't it get 
weeded out ? 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 15 



CHAPTER II. 

The Queen's Hotel, my temporary head-quarters, 
was clean and comfortable, without being extrava- 
gant. The landlord was a most pleasant, agreeable, 
well-educated person, while his sister, the house- 
keeper, was a pattern that any in her walk of life 
would have done well to take for an example. In 
Toronto I remained several days, for here I intended 
laying in my principal supplies, both for consumption 
and trade with such Indians I might be thrown in 
contact. 

In selecting my stock I was materially assisted by 
a gentleman to whom I had brought a letter of in- 
troduction, for, having been long in the fur trade, he 
was thoroughly conversant with what were the re- 
quirements of life beyond civilisation. 

However, I must not neglect one purchase I have 
made, namely, a terrier. I was turning the corner 



16 LONE LIFE : 

of .Young-street when a lad passed me with a dog 
for sale. I gave the animal a careful look over, and 
I was so pleased with it that I determined to be- 
come a buyer. For ten dollars it became mine, and 
when I afterwards, at the hotel, had a more careful 
and thorough examination of my new acquisition, 
I came to the conclusion that I had obtained a trea- 
sure. The lad, who had come thus far to deliver 
over safely my property and to give me a receipt for 
the money he received, in answer to my inquiry whe- 
ther the terrier would kill rats, responded, " Yes, and 
wood-chucks too, and they are plaguey tough to 
handle." The last portion of his sentence he need 
not have added, for well I knew that it was but the 
gamest of dogs, especially of such diminutive size, 
that were able successfully to cope with this mar- 
mot. 

u But the name," continued I. 

" Only Skye, sir." 

" He isn't one of Captain M.'s breed ?" A race of 
the purest Skye terriers, imported originally by the 
old gentleman from his own estate in that island. 

" 'Deed he is ; although father has owned the stock 
for some time now, he got the breed first from the 
captain's." 

If my informant spoke the truth, I had really 



A TEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 17 

got a prize, and when I looked at my new acqui- 
sition, there was not a single point that would denote 
him not to he of the pure strain. And well I knew 
them, for in the old captain's society many years 
gone by, I had seen one of this very race, in less 
than a quarter of an hour, although cut and slashed 
across the legs and chest, draw three foxes from the 
same earth. 

At length I was ready for the start — my baggage 
I had packed up and forwarded to Orillia by the 
Ontario, Simcoe, and Huron Eailroad, while I de- 
termined to do the first thirty-five miles of my 
road on foot, for many years ago I had tramped it, 
and wished again to have a look at scenes familiar to 
my sight in the days of my youth. 

Of all long uninteresting roads, Young-street is 
possibly the most so, for from the time it leaves the 
shores of Lake Ontario, till it has advanced over 
twenty miles inland, it is without a turn, the houses 
edging it in the lower portion far from attractive, 
with a want of trees most noticeable. Seventeen 
miles from Toronto, Richmond Hill is gained — a 
prosperous little place and a great improvement upon 
the part of the road traversed; but it is a long and 
steep climb to reach it. However, its position is 
worthy of notice, for the ridge on the summit of 

VOL. I. C 



18 LONE LIFE: 

which it stands is a watershed, streams rising on either 
side of which flow in reverse directions, the northern 
brooks travelling thousands of miles before they reach 
the lake, that the southern ones gain in twenty. 
In explanation of this, a watercourse rising at Rich- 
mond Hill and flowing due south, would reach Lake 
Ontario before it had travelled more than eighteen 
miles, while a similar stream rising at neighbouring 
springs, from the dip of the land would have its 
current directed north ; in the course of time it would 
enter Holland River, from there into Lake Simcoe, 
hence through the narrows into Lake Couchachin — 
then by the Severn into Georgian Bay, a portion of 
Lake Huron, the waters from which flow through 
Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, and the Niagara River, 
before entering Ontario. Thus we see that the rise 
or depression of a foot of ground may sever thou- 
sands of miles streams which had their origin within 
a few yards of each other. Do not matters often as 
trivial sever lives for ever ? 

At a roadside tavern at Richmond Hill, I dined at 
a famous ordinary ; the other guests were lusty, pros- 
perous-looking representatives of their class, owing 
either to Scotland or Ireland their nativity. 

It was soon apparent to me that I was regarded 
with inquisitive if not suspicious glances, and although 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 19 

several attempts were made during the meal to draw 
me into conversation, I courteously declined the 
honour. 

After dinner toddy or punch was ordered, the dif- 
ferent names being used according to the country 
that had given the thirsty soul birth. Canadians I 
knew were accredited with being able to take a fair 
quantity of ardent spirits, but these farmers could 
do more, and as their demands were gratified, politics 
were discussed with additional vehemence. 

As I had plenty of time, I rested and enjoyed my 
pipe, yes, and toddy too, for I was much interested in 
the conversation. At length a shrewd-looking old 
Scot, looking keenly at me, and expressing himself 
in very measured terms, said : " Weel, sir, you look 
a man o' education and a traveller, will you no agree 
with me that Mr. Mac — — will make a better member 

than that ranting blethering chap Mr. O' V 9 At 

the termination of this inquiry several voices were 
raised together to dilate on the claims of the candidate 
of whom the 0/ faction was in favour. But the 
old Scot again got the floor, and with the same ear- 
nestness of manner repeated the question previously 
asked — adding in parenthesis to the others : " We 
ken what we think, but we'd a' like to ken what the 
stranger thinks." So silence was established and all 

c2 



20 LONE LIFE : 

looked forward as if anxious to hear my sentiments. 
So I found it incumbent on me to say something — 
which I did in very nearly these words : 

"Gentlemen, I know nothing about the matter, 
so must decline to express an opinion one way or 
the other." 

" Weel, there's mair caution about you than folks 
would gie you credit for from your looks," said the 
old Scot. 

" Nor devil the bit do his looks belie him ; it's the 
pluck that's wanting in him," exclaims a regular 
broth of a boy. 

"Well, you're the last should find fault with him," 
said a ferret-faced looking Lowlander, who kept his 
eyes on me though addressing the last speaker ; " I'll 
bet you glasses round he's a Fenian." 

"And what if he is, more power to his elbow," ex- 
claimed a good-looking Irish lad who previously had 
not spoken. 

" Likelier far that he be an informer," shouted the 
first Patlander. 

So the clamour rose to boiling point. Neither 
faction would have me accredited to them at any 
price; glasses were smashed upon the table, and 
sticks wheeled about, every indication of a free fight 
commenced, in which I knew I should be between 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 21 

two fires, both willing to immolate me to their pas- 
sions ; so I watched my chance, got an opportunity, 
slipped out through the door, paid my reckoning, and 
continued my tramp. 

I had now got into a neighbourhood that once . I 
knew well, so sauntered on slowly, picking out from 
the number of new erections that had sprung up, houses 
that had once been occupied by old acquaintances. I 
was possibly about an hour thus engaged when the 
sound of approaching wheels caused me to turn round. 
A thick, well-fed, cob-like horse, drawing a light 
market waggon, on the seat of which was perched 
the driver, muffled up in such numerous wraps and 
coats as to cause him to look as broad as long, and 
evidently affected with more stimulant than he could 
carry stiffly, was close at hand. When abreast of 
me the Jehu shouted, " Wo there, canna ye hear, lass, 
wo!" and the mare stopped, and I recognised my 
Scotch acquaintance of the tavern. 

Steadying himself, he commenced : " Weel, sir, al- 
though it's me that says it, ye did uncu good service 
to you're ain sel', to get ahint the door, down at the 
public, for though I say it my sel' I'd ha gied ye as 
bonny a rap over the head wi' my staff, as ye most 
ever had in your time. I dinna ken now whither 
I'm doing right to the laws and country no to tak' 



22 LONE LIFE: 

you up for a revolutionarising Fenian," but several 
hiccups prevented him adding more. 

Answering, I inquired, " On whose authority he 
called me a Fenian V 

" On the authority of" — hiccup — hiccup — " of 
every one." 

" Well, you may tell every one from me, that 
they are a pack of fools. Good-day, good-day, sir," 
and I hurried on. 

But the old fellow would not be left behind, but 
continued to denounce me as a Fenian, and I really 
commenced to fear that if strangers coming along 
heard him, they might imagine that there was suf- 
ficient truth in his statement to cause me serious 
hindrance. 

So stopping and turning towards my persecutor, 
with less energy and more softness of voice I in- 
formed him that I should sleep at the hotel at Bond 
Head Lake, where I should probably arrive in an hour, 
when I would satisfy his curiosity, and prove to his 
satisfaction that I was not a Fenian. 

But this old fellow would not be put off; every 
second word he declared I had no intention of going 
to Bond Head Lake, and that if he didn't arrest me 
then and there, he would not be doing his duty to his 
country, for he was a loyal subject, and his father 



A TEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 23 

was a loyal subject, and how many more generations 
before them I forget. 

I was nearly climbing the fence and leaving the 
road, when I thought better to satisfy him, for in his 
present drunken state he might go and alarm the 
neighbourhood, and have them turn out in pur- 
suit of me. So stepping close up to him, I said, 
"I'm no Fenian, I'm a Scotchman, like yourself; 
look at the post-marks on these letters, Edinburgh, 
Glasgow, Greenock, and read this one." 

The old man looked astonished, certainly incre- 
dulous ; laying the reins over the splash-board he said, 
" I maun find my specs before I believe a word of what 
you say." So he searched every pocket for his specta- 
cles/ultimately finding them in the most unlikely one, 
then he slowly deciphered the post-marks, and ulti- 
mately read a few words of the letter, then closed it, 
the whole nature of his manner changing. Shoving 
out his hand with much energy, he had got half- 
way through the sentence, " Gieme your neuf," when 
he went out headforemost over the front wheel of the 
waggon. However, he was a hardy old fellow, and 
soon regained his limbs, when he shook my hand 
till he nearly dislocated my arm. 

At length I got him up on his seat in the con- 
veyance, no easy job I can assure you, and would 



24 LONE LIFE : 

have been much more troublesome if the sensible old 
mare did not appear to have become used to her 
master's peculiarities. 

" Now jest lowp in," said my new chum, when he 
felt himself comfortably seated. " We'll jest gang 
back to Eichmond Hill, and we'll ca' at Sam 
McClauclin's, whar we'll hae a wee drappie, when 
we'll gang across to the tavern and gie them Irish 
the d — dest lambasting for insulting a gentleman 
like you by calling him a Fenian." 

At length my new acquaintance departed, and 1 
was sincerely congratulating myself on it, when he 
again stopped the mare and shouted at the top of his 
voice : 

" Did na you say you were going to sleep at Bond 
Head Tavern % I'll gang on and tell them you're 
coming, and wait for you mysel', for we maun hae a 
drap thegither." 

Where I was left to my own thoughts, was about 
three miles beyond Richmond Hill, the very vicinity 
that I wished to pay particular attention to, for close 
by stands a house in which I have received never- 
forgotten kindnesses, and for a Canadian dwelling has 
more of the English, or rather Scotch country gentle- 
man's residence about it than any other I have here 
visited. 

Walking quietly up the long approach, familiarly 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 25 

designated the avenue in old times, I made a detour 
so as to avoid being seen by the residents, for such a 
length of time had passed that, it was very impro- 
bable any I knew now remained. In this I was suc- 
cessful, for the only sound that broke the solitude was 
the baying of a deep-voiced hound. 

Turning down a path I had once known so well, 
and after passing a short distance through a margin 
of pines — remnants spared from the original forest — 
I stood upon the lovely little lake, in which I had 
fished day after day, capturing in goodly numbers 
the gamest of all fresh-water fish for their size, black 
bass. I felt I was an intruder, therefore did not 
like to peer too far, so satisfied myself by looking at 
what used to be the landing-place, to see if the neat 
gig, or a successor, lay there as of old. No boat was 
to be seen, and from that circumstance I felt great 
changes had taken place in this once happy and con- 
tented home, for in days gone by, the head of the 
house, with either sons or daughters for oarsmen, used 
regularly to have his hour or two fishing previous to 
sunset. Yes, and I have often pulled bow with a fair- 
haired, tall, handsome daughter of the Highland laird 
pulling stroke, and I can well remember how all my 
thought would get concentrated in the long and sunlit 
locks that, disengaged from their fastenings by the 
exertion, would sway to and fro under my gaze. 



26 LONE LIFE: 

But it was getting rapidly towards night, so I stole 
away, figuring up remembrances of a wide flap hat 
and scarlet ribbon around it, with a sweet expressive 
face beneath, possessed of such soft winning eyes as 
might well have caused havoc with the heart of the 
chief of Ulva's Island, and make him prefer the 
chance of a watery grave to being deprived of his 
lovely stolen bride. 

Brilliant red clouds hung over the dark pines that 
hid the setting sun, when I arrived at Bond Head 
Lake. The host had evidently been prepared for 
my coming, for his attention was greater than could 
possibly be expected to be subtended to a travel- 
stained, dusty, plainly-habited traveller, so I was 
shown to the best bedroom, a girl far too well 
dressed for servant ordered promptly to fetch me 
hot water, and otherwise attend on the gentleman's 
wants. When left to myself I took a look at the 
little lake across the road in front of the house. As 
I had last seen it, it lay calm and silent, with the 
heavy shadows of many a forest tree glancing on its 
bosom, while the reflection of the giant full hunter's 
moon upon its surface tipped the slightest ripple — 
even the plash made by some tame ducks — with 
molten silver. 

On descending from my dormitory to the coffee- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 27 

room, I met my friend of the waggon and mare ; he 
was certainly more upright in his walk, and there- 
fore I suppose more sober. Expecting my appear- 
ance he had brewed a whisky toddy, strong, hot, not 
too sweet, and just aware of the presence of lemon. 
I might have refused to take anything to drink if I 
had been asked the question previous to it being pro- 
duced, bat now that it was concocted and the brewer 
of it had exercised so much skill in its manufacture, 
1 assented, and we hob-nobbed right merrily. My 
acquaintance was evidently well-known here, and 
from the lavish manner he threw about his silver, 
doubtless a very popular guest. 

After my chop we adjourned to the smoking- 
room, where were two or three other guests, when 
the bottle circulated, and the old Scot soon became 
thick in his speech and dictatorial in his language. 
Again and again he told the story of Richmond Hill, 
only making this alteration, that Jock McFarlane, 
" whom ye all ken, and what's mair, think sa un- 
common smart, but he's na that, and Tarn Wilson 
would hae it that this braw Scotsman was a Fenian, 
and but for my ainsel' they might hae been the death 
o' him. And a wheen o' ranting Irishmen thought 
he was an informer, and but for me they would na 
hae used very kindly neither." 



28 LONE LIFE : 

In his present fuddled state I have not the slightest 
doubt that he seriously believed he was speaking the 
veritable truth ; but when he went on to say, that 
" he kent me from the vara first look, tho' he had na 
been muckle o' a traveller; but he was dom'd that 
any man who would tak' me for a Fenian must be a 
fule, and for a' ye like to believe that carl Jock 
McFarlane did, and ye a' think him a smart man." 

" Well, not as smart as you are, uncle," said one 
of the strangers. 

" Na, na, ye may say that," replied the old man. 

" For I remember, now," continued the first speaker, 
" it's not more than two years since, come next Can- 
dlemas, that you sold Jock that bit of a pony for one 
hundred and ten dollars, that wasn't worth five-and- 
twenty. Yes, uncle, you're smarter than Jock 
McFarlane, altho' he's pretty hard to get the best of." 

a You're jist right," responded the old man, then 
laughing out aloud, " that's a fac', jist two years 
sine. Weel a weel, I did get the best o' him, 
and I ne'er thought as muckle o' ony money e'er 
I aimed," and turning to me with a broad smile on 
his face he continued, " It wad na be quite the thing 
to do amang strangers, but Jock and me are auld, 
auld friends, and we are baith in Canada." 

" Save me from my friends" I had often heard, 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 29 

but never knew an instance to which it was more 
applicable than the present. Canadian horse jockeys 
get the reputation of being, as the Yankees say, 
" darn'd 'cute," and from the old man's idea, the 
customs of the land encouraged it. 

As I retired to rest I heard this dry-throated old 
Gael singing for about the tenth time, " Geordie 
brewed a peck o' malt." I knew from what I had 
witnessed that he only commenced the stave when he 
thought it time to make a fresh brewing. 

At breakfast I met him again ; not a particle did 
he seem to suffer from his heavy potations of the 
previous evening — commencing the day with a hair 
of the doo; that bit him, under the name of a wee 
drappy o' bitters. 

Holland Landing was my destination, Newmarket 
my acquaintances, so he gave me a lift for some miles ; 
but the parting came, and it was no easy one, for the 
hospitable old fellow had made up his mind to take 
me to his home, where the house and all that was in 
it was at my service as long as I chose to stay. The 
last I heard of him was, " Hoots, lassie, pit your best 
foot for'ard," and the mare rattled off at a twelve 
mile an hour gait down the rocky inclined road. 



30 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTER III. 

The scenery from Bond Head to the vicinity of 
Holland Landing is not only pretty, but excellent 
arable land. A few years ago any quantity of it could 
have been bought for a very small price, now it would 
take a large purse to buy a respectable-sized home- 
stead. It used to be a grand place to shoot deer, 
but clearing up the woodlands has doubtless driven 
all that class of game off, if any were spared to go. 

Soon I heave in sight of the long flat marsh that 
margins Holland River; for miles it stretches uninter- 
ruptedly on either side, and visions come back of the 
bags of wild duck and baskets of muscalonge I 
have taken upon its stagnant bosom. On reaching 
the wharf I find no steam-boat sails that day, so as 
I have plenty of time and a sandwich in my pocket, I 
turn off on one side to visit a grove where I have 
often encamped in days gone by when deer hunting. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 31 

After a search I discover it, its appearance not im- 
proved by the occupants, a very dirty family of 
Indians, a remnant of the once powerful Chippewa 
tribe. They are truly a wretched-looking lot, reduced 
to this stage] of misery by their unquenchable love 
of whisky and intercourse with the white man. 
Trying to discover a familiar face among them, which 
I did not succeed in, I turned my steps towards 
Bradford, and soon found the old-fashioned, for this 
country, comfortable inn, where I resolve to lay over 
for the night. 

The railroad from Toronto on its way to Barrie 
and Orillia runs close to it, and as may be expected 
from such a circumstance, it has increased in im- 
portance, but has lost much of the tidy, Sunday 
air that formerly pervaded it. 

There w T as, in the evening, a noisy party of sports- 
men in the next room — the public one — who had 
just returned from Beaver Town, they having been 
deer-shooting up beyond Balsam Lake, so I got 
into a quiet seat amongst them. 

This had once been a favourite hunting-place of 
my own, so I listend with no small amount of interest. 
They had been moderately fortunate, so the young- 
sters were in high glee; the more staid and elder 
ones agreeing that their two weeks' work was nothing 



32 LONE LIFE : 

to what they would have done ten or twelve years 
ago. This is the old cry, and unfortunately a true 
one for those fond of field-sports; game is rapidly 
upon the decrease unless you go beyond the verge of 
civilisation. 

This Balsam Lake has quite a romance attached to 
it ; at least the voice of the people living at Beaver 
Town had given it one. It was a lovely spot, and de- 
served such an honour. 

The story ran that between thirty and forty years 
ago, a well-known Admiral in our Navy became so 
enamoured of Balsam Lake, that he bought a large 
extent of land upon its margin, and there moved his 
household gods. As he was possessed of abundant 
means, no expense was spared in erecting a suitable 
dwelling. So workmen were collected from far and 
near, and a handsome stone house built, the interior 
fittings of which were said to be sumptuous. Then 
a host of lumbermen were brought, and rapidly rod 
after rod of the original forest was cleared away, till 
hundreds of acres were fit for cultivation. 

Then came the story oft told — still oftener never 
known — of a young wife repining for home, friends, 
and civilisation, insanity in the end drowning her 
longings, and, too late, the bereaved husband quitting 
the wilderness in the futile hope of restoring intellect 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 33 

to the stricken one ; death, unfortunately, was the 
only release her afflictions knew. So the broken- 
hearted sailor never returned ; his arable grounds 
became an entangled thicket, and the house a ruin, 
for the place then was too far from settlements to in- 
duce any one to live upon it that depended upon 
the sale of their produce for obtaining the necessaries 
of life. 

Whether this tale is true, and the dramatis personce 
were such as I have mentioned, I cannot vouch ; but 
I have seen the tumble-clown wrecked house, and 
shot deer in the second-growth timber that luxu- 
riantly covered the soil where once had grown wheat. 
More than that, I have seen the grey wolf recklessly 
running down his quarry where, years ago, the skulk- 
ing scoundrel dare not have shown himself without 
being saluted with a rifle-bullet. 

American railways are not proverbial for velocity ; 
Canadian ones deserve this character most thoroughly ; 
but after many efforts on the part of the locomotive, in 
which the passenger could not help wondering whe- 
ther they would be vouched success, we arrived at the 
village of Orillia — very much increased in size since 
I had last seen it, still none the less pretty. 

Lake Couchachin, reaching almost to the residents* 
dwellings, rested in calm repose, its surface only being 

VOL. I. D 



34 LONE LIFE : 

broken by the dive of a wild-duck or loon, while 
opposite, listless-looking Rama was conspicuous, and 
the two islands half-way across loomed up, grand in 
their russet and scarlet covering of autumn foliage. 

Many months I lived here, but so long is it since 
that I feel a stranger in the place that once knew 
me. 

My baggage and dog I find safe ; the little fellow 
seems to recognise me, an honour he has never done 
before ; he is evidently one of those characters who 
do not make acquaintances in a hurry — good evi- 
dence of his sincerity when I have gained his confi- 
dence. 

The hotel I put up at is one I have resided in 
before, but it has changed hands. I ask casually 
after a few of my old most intimate friends. Some 
have disappeared ; others rest under the sombre sha- 
dows of the pine-trees that surround the graveyard. 
Sufficient then, I will remain unknown. After sup- 
per — a meal that takes place in America about the 
time my old brother-officers are assembling in the 
ante-room for mess — I go forth on a tour of inspec- 
tion. " What to see in a Canadian country village V 9 
I hear inquired. Well, to smoke a pipe, yes, and get 
the fresh air — I may as well confess further, to learn 
if the house stood where in years gone by one of the 



A YEAB IN THE WILDERNESS. 35 

prettiest girls lived, and aye one of the most lovable 
that e'er it was my fate to meet. 

But all is changed ; only the ground on which it 
stood remains. And wondering that man could be 
guilty of such desecration, I return to the tavern 
dissatisfied with the world, and in far from an amiable 
humour. 

I have inferred that the climate of Canada is prone 
to make people thirsty, this was amply proved by the 
number of loungers who dropped in at night to have 
a night-cap. The quantityfof these each visitor pro- 
vided himself with, I should think would make a 
pillow on his bed superfluous, but among all the 
imbibers I did not recognise one familiar face, and 
a little over twenty years had done all this. 

What was my own retrospect in that space of time ? 
what had I seen ? where had I been 1 Nearly all 
over the earth, and witnessed the struggles of nation 
against nation, the belching forth of shot and shell, 
carnage and death. And why should others not 
stray from home and friends as well as myself ? 

A more magnificent night it could not have pos- 
sibly been than it was when I retired to my room. 
Feeling disinclined for rest, possibly to revive me- 
mories of the past, I threw up my window. Before 
me, jutting far out into the lake, lay the old familiar 
d2 



36 LONE LIFE : 

point. And the moon which shone full and grand 
beyond it, wrapped its outline in that misty sha- 
dowless ever so attractive. The panorama was 
grasped in a minute, and my thoughts wandered 
back to my boy love. All this is very romantic, 
doubtless, but nevertheless true. 

Some have not the courage to make the confession 
that they have ever loved, more look at such boyish 
escapades as things to be forgotten. I'm not inclined 
to do either, although such a weakness may be 
deemed unbecoming in a wanderer ; men whose 
mode of life should make them ever most in- 
different to the tender passion. But the most impro- 
bable are its victims ; even soldiers suffer periodically, 
and I have known them so severely scorched, that 
years afterwards they have borne the scars. 

"But touching the lady, now you have told us 
that such a person once existed who made an impres- 
sion on your susceptible boyish feelings, what was 
she like V 9 I imagine asked, and have no hesitation to 
gratify such natural curiosity. 

She looked better bred than human beings are 
usually moulded; on foot or horseback, in prome- 
nade or ball-room, she could not have passed the 
least susceptible of the sons of man, the least inclined 
to exertion among the lords of creation, without their 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 37 

turning to have a second glance, nay, a long fixed 
look at her handsome, graceful figure. 

u And how did you meet her, and all that sort of 
thing?" 

Well, in this way. I was staying at this village ; for 
several days during my afternoon walk I met an 
erect, handsome, military-looking old gentleman . The 
cut of his clothes was certainly rather of an anti- 
quated date, and exhibited indications that they had 
endured a fearful amount of brushing, but being 
ever scrupulously clean, failed to impress you with 
shabbiness. 

With the courtesy of one of the old regime, the 
second time we were thrown in contact he bowed, 
the third time we met occasion was made to start a 
conversation. 

My old friend, Captain , had travelled a very 

great deal, seen much of life, was a keen observer, 
and a delightful conversationalist, and when he knew 
that I. was the son of a military man, and one that 
had served with him in the Peninsula under the 
great Duke, we became so intimate that he invited 
me to visit him. 

A perfect childlike simplicity and a superabundance 
of the gentlest feelings in human nature were his 
characteristics ; still he had done everything, from 



38 LONE LIFE : 

having his man out, to making his regiment throw 
away their knapsacks, to enable them to charge 
better, when he had the honour of leading his 
corps in one of the most brilliant affairs that 
took place between the American troops and our- 
selves, when we advanced on Washington previous 
to its capture. For which little escapade, viz., dis- 
carding the men's necessaries, laughingly he used to 
tell how he was tried by court-martial, acquitted, 
but informed not to do it again. Half-pay was all 
the means he possessed, but even on that moiety was 
considered by his primitive neighbours "passing 
rich," as was the curate in Goldsmith's Deserted 
Village on a much smaller stipend. 

At length I paid my promised visit. I was fortu- 
nate, for I met the old gentleman engaged, spade in 
hand, among his flowers, to which he was remark- 
ably attached and unremitting in his attention. 

Ushering me into his sitting-room, from the 
abruptness of our entrance we surprised his daughter 
sitting in the recess of a window that looked out over 
the lake, busily engaged in mending her father's 
socks. Many young ladies would be ashamed if 
detected by a stranger engaged in such occupation. 
But she had not a particle of false pride in her veins, 
but rose with all the grace of a duchess, and met 
me with that unaffectedness and sincerity of manner 



A TEAE m THE WILDERNESS. 39 

that at once prevents a guest from imagining that he 
is an intruder. 

From that day forth my regard for the old captain 
grew apace, while for the daughter admiration changed 
into love, which kept increasing with the lapse of 
time as would vegetation in a perpetual spring, and 

really how could it be otherwise, for Miss was 

not only graceful, as I have said, but she was lovely. 
Her complexion was simply brilliant, but there was a 
transparency about it that whispered to me thoughts 
of consumption. She was even more beautiful than 
distingue, her face a perfect oval, her nose aquiline, 
with thin chiselled nostrils, her forehead which 
was smooth, broad, but not high, was shaded on 
either side with a wealth of chestnut-black wavy 
hair, generally worn simply caught up and fas- 
tened in a knot on the back of her classic-formed 
head. For a heroine of romance, a Lucy of Lam- 
mermoor, the world might have been searched over 
without finding as suitable a prototype. Still she did 
not impress you with sadness, quite the reverse, and 
her energy and industry never permitted her to be 
idle a moment. 

The better to enjoy my partiality for field sports, 
I moved across the lake to the termination of a deep 
bay, distant about six miles from Orillia ; but what 
did space matter, love made my arms strong and my 



40 LONE LIFE: 

heart brave, for in all weathers, calm or storm, I 
would find myself at the old captain's once, some- 
times twice a week. When I look back upon the 
black tempestuous nights that I have beat home, in 
my narrow long gig, with the sail reefed down to its 
smallest size, and ballast lumbering the floor to the 
very seats to make the craft able to bear up against 
the blasts, it appears to me perfectly marvellous how 
I ever escaped going to the bottom. 

Autumn drifted into winter, and about the middle 
of December the ice came, the frost steadily increas- 
ing for nigh a week, but so far not a flake of snow 
had fallen ; so every afternoon saw my skates buckled 
on, and away I flew for Orillia, and the society 
of well, I'll say the old captain's daughter. 

I think it was Christmas Eve, if not, within a 
day or two of it ; the old gentleman, who had lately 
been indisposed, retired early, and I remained ; our 
tete-a-tete was delightful, and time sped so rapidly 
that midnight came before, yes, long before it was 
wanted. 

Getting up, I prepared to go, sat down again, and 
postponed leave-taking a little longer. At length it 
was one o'clock, so buckling on my skates in the sitting- 
room, and well muffled up to keep out the keen frost, 
I went to the door accompanied by my companion, 
and found to our surprise that the ground and lake 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 41 

were covered with snow, and that large, heavy, but 
not numerous flakes were still descending. My 
hostess implored of me not to think of starting under 
such circumstances ; " there was a spare bed for me, 
papa will be so angry when he knows it," were all 
urged in vain, for young fools are often fond of 
making heroes of themselves, and even sometimes hope 
that a reckless assumption of indifference to danger 
will cause them to obtain the reputation of courage. 

A long plank, the landing-place for boats when the 
water was open, jutted out into the lake. So anxious 

was Miss to prevent my going, that in spite 

of snow and thin shoes she followed me to it, for 
from there I intended starting on my cheerless 
journey. 

" Good-bye, it's all right, there's no danger,'-' were 
my parting reassurances, and I struck out into the 
darkness and the storm. As scarcely an inch of 
snow lay upon the ice, I got on famously at first, and 
soon drew near the two islands, the narrow channel 
between which I intended to pass through. Although 
only a short space of time had passed since I started? 
a complete change had come over the appearance of 
the weather, for the wind had commenced to rise and 
sough dismally, and the snow to fall in blinding 
quantities. I might have turned back, but a monitor 
within whispered shame upon such cowardice, so I 



42 LONE LIFE: 

braced myself and determined to carry out my original 
intention. My speed was now necessarily slower, so 
between the two islands I entered, feeling less plucky 
and a good deal more uncertain as to the issue. I 
had nearly cleared them to strike out for the open 
water when to my left a lucifee howled in his most 
dismal unearthly manner. This animal's voice was not 
familiar to me then, and it terrified me to such an 
extent that but for the greatest mental and physical 
exertion I should have broken down through fear, for 
I believed such a weird-like note could only come 
from a supernatural being. After overcoming the 
first shock, my strength returned, and fear gave me 
an additional impetus to renew my speed ; but I had 
not gone far when the same wild cry echoed from my 
right. Alloway Kirk and a thousand other ghost scenes 
flitted before me, and I fairly flew to escape the 
locality that Satanic beings had evidently selected 
for their revelry. 

But the storm had increased, the wind lifted the 
loose snow and heaved it about in wild fantastic 
drifts, and the big descending flakes rushed before 
the impetuous blast. Fifty yards I could not see 
before me, yes, often not half that distance, but 
onwards, onwards I struggled, hoping my course was 
right, praying that I should not by chance be direct- 
ing my steps to the haunted islands. I skated and 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 43 

skated, slackened my pace from pure exhaustion, re- 
newed my efforts with desperate will, again to slacken 
them for want of power of endurance. Hours must 
have passed thus, and I was becoming reconciled, 
careless of results, when something dark loomed before 
me; scarcely had I observed this when I fell forward. 
Gathering myself together I hesitated whether to rise 
or not, when the same looming dark outline presented 
itself. With a great effort I found I could move ; 
slowly I dragged myself on towards what I knew 
not ; more I cannot tell from memory, for the next 
twenty-four hours are a day of my life for which I 
have got credit, but was deprived of the power to use. 

In a comfortable room I found myself ; it was in 
the residence of the Methodist missionary, living at 
the Indian village of Rama. How I had come there 
was in this way. The good old clergyman could not 
sleep from the howling of the tempest without/ so the 
night had passed till about four in the morning, when 
he was alarmed by hearing some heavy substance 
fall against his door. Ever on the alert to do good, 
and believing that it might be one of his flock who 
required aid, he rushed down-stairs to ascertain, 
and there found the writer insensible, and many a 
week passed before he was able to find his way back 
to Orillia. 

Not long after came the news that every proba- 



44 LONE LIFE : 

bility existed that England should "go to war with 
Russia. Day and night I could not rest, " for I longed 
to follow to the field some warlike chief," so I quitted 
the calm shores of Lake Couchachin, and continued 
travelling eastward till I reached the land of my 
birth, little then believing, still hoping, that I should 
again see the "Lady of the Lake." 

I have now been at Orillia for several days, 
but intend leaving to-morrow : during that time I 
have visited several of my old haunts, and had a few 
hours pike fishing. My companion is the first person 
whom I have recognised, although time has made a 
wonderful change in his appearance. He is a Chip- 
pewa Indian, who was frequently a hunting companion 
in days gone by, and at that period considered the 
best trapper of his village. But drink, that curse 
of the Eed-man, has made him prematurely aged ? 
and his formerly steady hand that could handle the 
rifle with such precision, now shakes like an aspen 
leaf. I asked him on the first day we met about his 
sister Margaret, who, when I formerly resided here, 
was the belle of all the Ked-skin beauties, a veritable 
Pocahontas. Old Joe promised that I should see 
her on the morrow. I almost wish I had not now — 
for I would have much preferred to live in the me- 
mory of her charms than to renew her acquaintance 
if she has suffered cruel and forbidding alterations. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 45 

Of all races in the world that I know of, the women 
of none change so rapidly as the Indians, and an 
old squaw is actually hideous. 

But Margaret came across to see me — doubtless 
visions of some loose change floating before her eyes 
had caused her to be so prompt in her attention, I 
thought, when she entered the room. For, my part 
I never would have recognised her ; but after a long 
and careful survey, in which she carefully examined 
my hand for an old scar, she quietly sat down upon 
a chair, all the time keeping her eyes fixed upon me. 
After a lengthened pause, pointing with her witch- 
like claw, she said, " Yes, that is the white boy — - 
the same that live long, long ago, at Sugar Maple 
Point." Money, to my surprise, she refused to 
accept ; but a resplendent Brummagem trinket she 
carried away, appearing to be made the happiest woman 
in the world by the gift. Next morning her brother 
brought me a beautiful mink skin, skilfully tanned 
and dressed, and worth ten such baubles as I had 
given her as a present. I was ashamed to accept so 
handsome a gift ; but all that I could say would not 
argue him into receiving remuneration for it. So, 
in this instance, I had judged my old acquaintance 
wrongly. 



46 LONE LIFE : 



CHAPTER IV. 

While paddling along the upper shore of the lake 
about two miles beyond Sugar Maple Point, where I 
had previously resided, I turned the canoe's head 
inshore, to point out to Joe the scene of an episode 
that nearly cost me my life. The place, however, 
was much changed ; for when I saw it last it was 
only a neglected clearing, here and there brush 
asserting a position. Now it was overrun with a dense 
growth of maple and birch, laced and locked 
together with creepers of every kind indigenous to 
the country. Doubtless a favourite cover with game, 
but the very deuce for a white man to be obliged to 
force his way through. 

The story was this. On a lovely autumnal after- 
noon — and none who have not seen them can imagine 
the beauty of such localities in all the gorgeousness 
of scarlet, pink, gold, and green with which the 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 47 

vegetable world is here clothed, and its magnificence 
as well as harmony when a bright sun lights up the 
landscape in the fall of the year — I and an 
Indian lad, little over twelve years of age, left my 
residence to try a pair of hounds that had lately 
been presented me. After coasting about three 
quarters of a mile, a wood-chuck being observed 
upon a stump, we both landed from the birch-bark 
with the hope of being able to unearth the marmot 
and make him a prize. The only weapon we had 
with us was an axe, and although with its assistance 
we rapidly enlarged the burrow, still on further 
investigation we found it was so deep that our efforts 
were certain to result in failure, if limiting ourselves 
to daylight, so it was determined to give the task up. 
While resting before re-embarking, both of us heard 
the half grunt, half bleat of a buck ; immediately the 
lad ran off for the hounds who were in the canoe, 
and with them we struck into the bush in the direc- 
tion from whence proceeded the deer's challenge 
note. The sharp eyes of the Indian were not long 
in discovering a fresh trail. Uncoupling the dogs, 
they did not require being laid on, but stooped at 
once to the trail and went off at racing pace, alarm- 
ing the sleeping echoes by the deep cadence of their 
mellow voices. Cheerier notes I never listened to, 



48 LONE LIFE : 

for their producers were of a race now nearly extinct, 
whose deep chests and heavy flews produced a music 
that would drown the voice of a whole pack of ordi- 
nary fox-hounds. Hoping that the buck would take 
the water after half a dozen rounds of his favourite 
haunts, generally the last and most successful ruse "to 
throw out persistent pursuers, we entered the canoe 
and paddled from shore a few hundred yards. But the 
decrease in the distinctness of the voices of the 
hounds proclaimed that the hunt was leaving our 
vicinity, so we coasted for over a mile in the required 
direction. This step received its reward, for we were 
evidently again abreast of the dogs, who seemed to 
be at fault ; for although their voices were none the 
less sonorous, still the notes were not repeated as 
frequently. " There the deer, there," called my com- 
panion, and following the direction indicated by his 
hand, a head and gallant pair of antlers could be seen 
stealing smoothly, and without an effort, over the sur- 
face of the unruffled lake. Not awaiting, as we should 
have done, for the game to get well away from land, 
we immediately gave chase, and as few animals swim 
faster than deer, the wary creature turned for shore 
the moment it observed us, and we had the satis- 
faction, if such it can be called, of getting within a 
few yards of its nut-brown flanks as its feet grounded, 
a few rapid plunges carrying it on shore, when it 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 49' 

disappeared into the jungle. The hounds, who 
had been attracted to the beach by our shouts and 
cheers, as each encourage the other to renewed, and, 
if possible, more powerful exertion in propelling the 
canoe, almost mobbed the buck, but being an old 
stager he managed to avoid their onslaught. 

Again we paddled out a few hundred yards from 
shore, the better to command a view of the coast line, 
for we still had an absurd idea that the quarry, after 
his first experience, might be induced again to take 
water. Youth and inexperience are the only excuses 
that can be urged for such ignorance in venerie. 
The monotony of our position began to get irksome, 
when I perceived an object nearly half a mile off, 
that looked like a piece of charred timber floating on 
the water. Close observation disclosed to me that it 
moved, and advancing in its direction over half the 
intermediate space revealed a wake, and the species 
of animal that made it. 

u Oh for a gun !" I exclaimed ; " what would 1 not 
give for a gun !" 

" You steer," said the boy ; u I kill him with the 
axe." 

" No, I will ; you steer ; I have twice the strength 
that you have, and you can handle the canoe better 
than me," I hurriedly said to the lad. 

VOL. i. E 



50 LONE LIFE : 

So I got the axe and placed it handy beside me, 
and knitting my teeth, dipped the paddle deep, and 
we drove our light craft skimming over the lake. 

I did not much like my task. I would have given 
anything to have changed my weapon for a gun ; but 
show the white feather before that little grinning 
fiend behind me, who would not have halted for even 
thought, supposing the danger had been twice as 
great — no ! never ! But a few yards divided us now. 
I carefully laid my paddle on one side ; my hands 
were hot and trembling from the unusual exertion, so 
I reached both for an instant into the cool water and 
took the axe, having got my legs under me so as to 
be able to get on my feet in an instant. Bruin did 
not like us ; his lip curled, and his eye looked back 
towards us, but he did not deviate in his course. 

" Are you ready, boy?" 

" Am," grunted the young savage. 

" Then give way," I said ; and he did, for the 
canoe shot forward as a sleigh over the smoothest ice- 
track. 

One, two, three. I am within striking distance. 
Slowly I raise myself ; the heavy blade describes a 
circle over my right shoulder, and comes down with 
a swing that would have felled a bull, a crunch as of 
the pulverising of bones telling that my exertion has 
not been fruitless ; but the power with which I struck 



A YEA.R IN THE WILDERNESS. 51 

threw the canoe off her balance ; so to save an upset 
I dropped the axe overboard — yes, overboard. I had 
not time to do otherwise, for but a moment postponed 
our immersion : but it was only for a moment, 
for the bear, when it received the stroke, turned 
over and placed one of its paws upon the gunwale. 
We were unarmed, and therefore unable to cut his 
hold adrift, and in a moment our cockle-shell was 
floating bottom upmost, with the paddles, bear, and 
ourselves bobbing up and down around it like the 
cork floats of a net full of large fish. Fortunately, 
Bruin was satisfied with the mischief he had done, 
or felt too weak to attempt further hostilities, so 
made for shore, leaving us to hang to our craft, the 
most obstreperous of all its race when it gets an op- 
portunity of this kind to make itself disagreeable. 
However, after some exertion we got it righted, and 
the lad got inside while I held on by the stern, the 
young Indian soon after paddling into shoal water. 
Next day the bear was found in the last agonies pre- 
ceding death, and prime as both pelt and carcase were, 
I doubt if I should like to go through the same esca- 
pade to obtain their superior, let alone their equal. 

Joe, who listened attentively to all I said, only in- 
dicating his presence by a grunt of approval, ex- 
claimed as soon as I had finished : 
E2 



52 LONE LIFE: 

" That all true ; that just so. I know who was 
with you that clay ; he often tell me all about it ; he 
old Snake's son. You remember old chief Snake — 
live in next bier house to missionaries' in Rama ?" 

o 

No, I could not remember my companion's name, 
and I told him so. 

" Well, that no matter. Old Snake son, I tell you. 
Old Snake still alive," then turning very serious in 
features and solemn in voice, " but Jim dead — dead 
now long time ; he all the same as brother to me, 
and best hunter we then have. Yes, he all the same 
as brother to me." 

" How did he die, Joe ?" 

" Oh, ordinary way; nothing funny in him's 
death." (He doubtless meant peculiar.) " Him coming 
home from fall hunt one stormy night ; wind blow 
very hard; so top of pine-tree snap right off and fall 
on him. Suppose you come to Rama, I show you 
him's squaw and sons." 

I should have taken Joe with me on my intended 
journey if he had been as formerly, but his love of 
whisky had shattered his constitution, and prematurely 
he had become an old man. He begged hard to go, 
but I told him firmly but not unkindly it could not 
be. With tears almost in his eyes, he kissed my hand 
at parting, exclaiming to himself, " That whisky kill 



A YEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 53 

m-e; you afraid I drink too much — that why you 
no take me with you." 

1 feel convinced — well, I would not take away the 
poor fellow's character without cause — that I saw 
him enter a grog-shop as the train rolled out of the 
station, in which he doubtlessly got roaring drunk in 
ten minutes, and did not leave till all his hard-earned 
money was spent. Alas, the poor Indian ! he is like 
a child — more helpless in fact — for he cannot control 
his longings if in his power to gratify them. 

At Collingwood I found, as I had been informed 
I should, several families of Indians belonging to 
the North, far up beyond Muskoka Lake, ready to 
depart for their hunting-grounds. They had been 
down here to trade, and supply themselves with 
necessaries for carrying on the winter hunt. 

With few exceptions they were the poorest, most 
miserable-looking lot that I had ever previously seen, 
and it was quite evident that they had indulged 
in a heavy drinking bout, as long as the means to 
supply the needful lasted. I was quite discouraged 
and very nearly changing my destination for Min- 
nesota, when a circumstance arose to induce me to 
adhere to my original plan. 

Many of the storekeepers with whom the Indians 
had dealt, I asked for information regarding them, 



54 LONE LIFE : 

whether they knew them, where they came from, 
and more important still, whether they thought they 
were to be trusted. To all of these queries I got most 
unsatisfactory answers, for their conduct since they 
had come to the town had been one scene of drunken- 
ness; moreover, that they were all strangers, and 
had never been there before. The keeper of one 
store I had visited several times had a remarkably 
kindly expression, with a soft laughing eye, and was 
less severe upon the unfortunate Red-skins than any 
of his neighbours. In his shop I had on two occa- 
sions seen a sun-burnt, short hairy man, either lolling 
about or sitting upon a flour-barrel. His manner 
was evidently that of a person out at elbows, and very 
anxious to get something to do. I saw that he eyed 
me closely, and believe he wished me to enter into 
conversation with him, which I did not, preferring the 
advances to come from him. At length one morning 
I entered the store, and while speaking to the host, 
the stranger came in, respectfully listened to our con- 
versation, and at its finish told me that he was both 
a trapper and lumberman, had followed either one or 
other, or both if circumstances permitted, and would 
be happy to join me if we could arrange terms. As a 
further inducement he told me he knew the locality 
I wished to go to, but that if I would deviate more 
to the left he could take me to most admirable 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 55 

winter quarters — winter quarters situated in the very 
best moose, cariboo, and bear country in Canada. 

I listened quietly to all he had to say, and then 
asked him if he had a character, or could he mention 
any one that could vouch for his good behaviour. 

No, he had not ; he might have had doubtless if he 
had ever thought such was necessary, but he had 
lived beyond settlements where he could always get 
his living independent of any one, unless he went 
lumbering, when the boss of a gang had only to see 
how he could handle an axe for five minutes, or drive 
a yoke of cattle, and he was bound sure to give him 
best wages. 

I knew that what he stated was more than pro- 
bably true, so I told him to think over what arrange- 
ments we could make for the winter, possibly for 
a year, and let me know on the morrow. 

In the mean time I made numerous inquiries about 
this man, but no person knew him; all that they 
could say was, that he had come from the West in 
the steam-boat, a week or two since, had paid his 
score where he lodged, and had conducted himself in 
such a manner as not to have become objectionable 
to any one. 

His first demand on the morrow was fifty dollars a 
month, a winter fit-out, and permission to trade on 
his own account. 



56 LONE LIFE : 

After such a proposal I told him that it was un- 
necessary to broach the subject any more, so he left. 

In a few hours he returned, and said he would be 
satisfied with half the amount of money ; but even 
with this deduction I refused to engage him. 

Again he departed, the nonchalance of his manner 
being diplomatic to perfection. 

But next morning he was announced again. He 
didn't come to talk business, only to learn how I was 
getting on ; was willing to give me any information I 
wanted, took a glass of grog and a cigar, of course, 
at my request, and regretted extremely that we were 
not at the other end of Lake Superior, for he could 
take me from there into the best hunting-ground in 
the world, bar none. The impudent assurance of this 
man was his greatest attraction. In the Indian 
country of the far West I have met many of his 
stamp, but he beat them all. If coolness and decision 
would rescue any man from the just penalty of his 
rascality, then this one was sure to escape. 

After imbibing his glass of whisky, he spoke much 
more freely, and less guardedly than before — for one 
glass of spirits has double the effect upon persons 
who spend the greater portions of their lives where 
it is not to be obtained — and I learned as I supposed 
that he had traversed the plains and seen Mexico, 
spent a winter in the Kocky Mountains, and had 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 57 

lived hail-fellow-well-met for indefinite periods with 
the Sioux, some distance north of Fort Edminton. 
He was really very amusing now, and his society did 
not bore me in the least, so I listened with pleasure 
to yarn after yarn, which I believed true, because 
there was a probability about them, and a knowledge 
of the persons and places who figured in them, that 
it was impossible for an uneducated man to con- 
ceive. 

Still I made no allusion to his accompanying me. 

At length, when a spirit of bon camaraderie ap- 
peared to be thoroughly established, he again broached 
the all-important subject, by saying: 

" Captain, I'm darned if I would not like to go 
with you ; name your own terms, and, if reasonable, 
I'll go with you." 

I had expected this turn to take place, so was not 
at fault but determined to make him an offer, be- 
lieving, as an additional inducement, that his yarns 
would help to kill time very pleasantly of a long, 
lone winter night. 

" I'll give you a first-class winter outfit, provide 
you with food the same as my own, find you in am- 
munition, traps, &c. You can keep the pelt of 
all the game you kill, you can trade on your own 
account as long as you treat the Indians fairly, and I 
will supply you with articles to do so to the amount 



58 LONE LIFE : 

of thirty dollars store price ; and if you behave fairly 
with me, I'll give you every assistance to get your 
goods out when I break up camp ; in return for this 
I am to be boss (head of the party), you are to cut 
up the firewood, and do a fair share of work either 
in canoe paddling, camp keeping, shanty building, 
and packing home game. But if you should break your 
contract, or I should desire to be rid of your society 
on account of bad behaviour, before three months 
are up, then you shall only retain your winter kit, 
and obtain from me such provisions and ammunition 
as will suffice to bring you back to civilisation, retain- 
ing also the furs you have trapped in the interim." 

This, after some demur, was agreed to, so I had 
a fac-simile drawn out, attested by witnesses, and to 
which he attached the sign of a cross, for he could not 
write. Antoine Fortier, however, was his name. 

I having settled thus much, despatched him among 
the Indians, who left in a day or two, to learn parti- 
culars of their destination, and whether, if we joined 
them, for a liberal remuneration, they would pack my 
goods as far as our routes continued together. 

Alone I should have hesitated to trust myself 
among these miserable people, now that I had a white 
companion I felt that such a course, although pos- 
sibly still possessing risk, the chances were very much 
lessened. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 59 

Among the Indians I had noticed a bright, plea- 
sant-faced, half-starved, almost entirely unclothed 
boy, about fourteen years of age. His miserable 
state I could not help regretting, so I gave him 
a few coppers when chance threw him in my way. 
Among his people he appeared to be without friends, 
and, consequently, the drudge of all. 

One bitter bleak morning I met him at the tavern 
door ; he appeared to cower under the cold blast, and 
so forlorn and destitute did he look, that compassion 
for his situation took strong possession of me. So I 
asked the little one into the kitchen and gave the 
lad a regular blow out, very much to the disgust of 
the low dirty Irish Biddy who operated as cook, and 
whom, thank goodness, I had not seen before, or my 
appetite would have been much lessened. Talk 
of English schoolboys eating, the most voracious of 
them would not have been a patch upon my protege, 
And mind, his food was none of your cakes, buns, 
blanc-manges, and that kind of finikin stuff, but 
regular solid, hard substantial grub. In very truth, 
I stood and wondered where on earth such a skilla- 
garee could stow it all ; however, I did not hurry him, 
but waited patiently till he said enough, and nearly 
choked over the effort. 

Well, I took quite a liking to that boy, not on ac- 
count of the powers of digestion he had exhibited, but 



60 LONE LIFE : 

— and who would not that felt as they ought to do f — 
on account of his desolate wretched condition, and that 
at an age when everything should be the reverse, 
so that in the trials of after life he might be able to 
look back to a bright period in his existence. 

After a debate in my mind, selfish, no doubt, for I 
balanced the advantages and disadvantages of having 
such an attachment to my retinue, the wind played 
an additional hornpipe round the window-sill of my 
bedroom, and the tireless apartment looked more 
cheerless, and I shivered; that shiver recalled the 
memory of the poor boy out-doors, and the milk of 
human kindness rapidly increased within me, and I 
resolved to ask the little fellow to go with me, to 
share alike with me, but possibly, yes, possibly, 
have to go on short commons ; but under any cir- 
cumstances to be kindly treated and suitably clothed. 

So, in the afternoon I broached the circumstance 
to him, when his face lit up with joy. 

" Go, would he go with me V 

a Yes, anywhere." 

" Whose permission should I ask ?" 

u No one care for me — got no friend." 

Still I considered it right to ask the members of 
the camp where he slept. All responded : 

" Him was no use. Father dead, mother dead, him 
die next winter, nobody care about him." 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 61 

So I took him there and then, found a place in the 
barn for him to sleep, a large buffalo robe to wrap 
around him, and next morning provided him with 
cheap certainly, but warm clothing. 

" And no one could see why I should take the 
slightest interest in the ugly little brat." These were 
almost the verbatim words that several professing 
Christians said to me. 

As master and employer I did not consider that it 
behoved me to mention the matter to Antoine ; soon, 
however, he found it out, and was very wroth. After 
a few common-place remarks on the subject, to 
which I responded little, he angrily commenced : 

" Why hamper ourselves with a dirty, unwashed, 
filthy, good-for-nothing, Red-skin spawn like that ?" 

" Because I wish it." 

" But you are a fool to be imposed upon ; the whole 
expedition will be spoilt." 

Searching among my letters I found the agreement ; 
holding it up, I said : 

" I suppose you wish to break this contract, if so, 
it is easily torn up and thrown in the fire." 

" jSTo, no, I don't mean that," he exclaimed. 

u Well, then, if you intend keeping it, know once 
and for all that I am boss, and will not be dictated 
to by you or any one else. I have letters to write 
and would be alone." 



62 LONE LIFE: 

Smirking and smiling he retired, protesting all the 
time that I misunderstood him. Well, it may be 
better that I did, for from that date it put an end to 
any doubts who was commanding officer. 

In the morning Antoine visited me; he was all 
good nature, and adhered to his former statement, 
that I misunderstood him, that what he had said was 
dictated by regard for my interest, afterwards in- 
forming me that he had made arrangements with the 
Indians to take my baggage to what he considered a 
splendid hunting-ground, and at a price which ap- 
peared to me very reasonable. 

Then the morrow was fixed for the start. 

Taking my protege and Skye with me, for the latter 
now condescended to regard me as master, we took 
our way to the former's late camp. Its inhabitants 
were about to start north-west in a couple of days. 
With envy they seemed to regard their late attache, 
on account, doubtless, of his new clothes, which cer- 
tainly neither fitted nor became him ; but when we bid 
them good-bye, not a word of regret was expressed 
at his departure. 

Poor lad! terrible would have been his fate among 
them if they had run short of provisions, too young 
and without means of providing food for himself, they 
would have driven him forth in the wilderness to die 
of starvation. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 63 



CHAPTER V. 

The first four days of our journey was performed 
on foot. Besides the small packs Antoine, the boy, 
and myself carried, we had about two and a half 
hundredweight divided among the Indians, made up 
in loads of about fifty pounds each. These I took no 
more supervision of than to see that they left in the 
morning and were delivered up at night. The wea- 
ther was cool and bracing, and with the exception of 
the first two days, when the walking was wet and 
very boggy under foot, the ground was firm and free 
from other impediments than fallen timber, and where 
the forest was not dense, occasional clumps of brush. 
As far as my judgment went, I should say that a 
good seventy miles laid between us and Collingwood. 
So far I had done no hunting, for the very reason 
that I determined, until all were got into thorough 
working order, pleasure should be sacrificed to busi- 



64 LONE LIFE : 

ness, and any attempt on my part to set a different 
example would have been demoralising in the ex- 
treme, and likely to result in the subversion of disci- 
pline. 

I have forgotten to add that, before quitting civi- 
lisation, almost at the last house "upon its outskirts, I 
purchased from a squatter, farmer, or whatever you 
choose to call him, another dog, a thorough cur in 
shape, if my judgment be not erroneous. I was 
tempted to become the owner from the lowness 
of price asked and the good looks of the intelligent 
putative mother, who was unquestionably a veritable 
bond fide colley. The sire I could learn nothing 
of — doubtless some stray Indian cur. 

Never having had a previous knowledge of such a 
cross, I hoped that the animal would turn out a 
perfect treasure. If his excellence ever equals the 
difficulty there was in catching him, and retaining 
when caught, never was better value received for a . 
five dollar bill. For safe custody he was intrusted 
to the care of my Indian lad, who was much de- 
lighted with the responsibility of so valuable a 
charge. 

The first two days I noticed that they had occa- 
sional differences of opinion ; latterly dislike seems to 
have retired in favour of friendship, and if such a 



A YEAE IN TEE WILDEENESS. 65 

happy state of affairs continues a day or two longer, 
Poteen, for so I have named him on account of the 
whisky -loving physiognomy of his late owner, will be 
released from leading strings and permitted to pick 
his own way. Skye evinces an inveterate dislike to 
him, so do the three or four curs belonging to the 
Indians ; doubtless before long his interest will tell 
him who should be propitiated, for there are two 
distinct cliques among the canines, the Scotch 
element and the Indian, and although the former is 
very much in the minority numerically, if ever actual 
hostilities break out, I would lay my money upon the 
Gael. 

Anxiety for the first night or two after getting 
under way, operated upon me much in the same 
manner as upon the sailor getting clear of land, so 
my sleep was far from sound or refreshing ; not so 
now, for I have scarcely finished my doch-an-darras 
pipe when I am in the arms of Morpheus, little Skye 
cuddling up, head and tail fashion, on my warmest 
side, and so watchful is he that not a soul can ap- 
proach my dormitory without his giving alarm. 

Antoine he is not partial to — a bowing acquaintance 
he certainly has with him, but nothing more. The 
Indians he refuses to acknowledge at any price ; even 
as to his food, he expects to receive it from me ; ordi- 

VOL. I. F 



66 LONE LIFE: 

nary well-picked bones, such as generally fall to s? 
dog's lot, from other hands he would not deign to» 
touch, unless Poteen or one of the Indian curs cast a 
longing eye upon it, then ideas of providing for the 
morrow seem to strike him, when gingerly picking 
up the despised morsel, on three legs, with extra turn 
in his tail he will trot off pompously into the bush 
and secrete it. Bless you, he's far too aristocratic 
to be selfish ; possibly, who knows, but that he thinks 
that the scraps he treats thus, by the half-starved 
canaille that happen for the present time to be his- 
fellow-travellers would be unappreciated. 

The fifth night we encamped upon a beautiful dry 
knoll covered with beech, maple, and birch, just such 
a rise of ground as in some future day will be selected 
for the site of a farm-house, from whence the country 
for miles around can be overlooked. As far as I can 
form an opinion without breaking the soil, the great 
difficulty the agriculturalist will have to contend with 
at first, on settling in this neighbourhood, will be the 
quantity of stone scattered over the surface. The 
soil itself appears remarkably good, and especially 
suitable for the cultivation of potatoes, hops, beans, 
barley, or oats ; but I fear it is too northern a climate 
for wheat to become a staple crop. 

The first wolves that have vet been heard, sere- 



A TEAE IX THE WILDERNESS. 67 

nadecl us to-night; there must have been half a 
dozen in the troupe. Their feelings were certainly 
suffering from some grievous wrong, if the volume 
and mournfulness of their notes are to be taken as 
an index. Of course, the Indian dogs could not re- 
sist the inducement of chiming in the chorus ; even 
Skye followed suit, a clear case of a prince fiddling 
among professionals ; however, I overlooked the mat- 
ter and did not censure him, as it is the first time- 
that my dog has forgotten to be a gentleman. 

Turning out soon after daybreak, although the 
water was icy cold I could not resist the temptation 
of taking a bath ; however, a couple of minutes 
under a shower of spray sufficed, the reaction making 
my skin the colour of a boiled lobster; but after 
I got thoroughly dried and dressed, I felt I had 
energy to undertake any mortal thing. An old 
Indian, while I underwent my ablutions, sat upon a. 
bank wrapped in silent wonder; when finished, he 
rose silently, uttered a single word and walked away ; 
that word, when translated, meant lunatic. A wo- 
man that once professed to love me very much, usecl 
frequently to call me the same ; from her mouth L 
considered it a term of endearment. It is this meta- 
morphosising the use of words in our language that 
causes its difficulty of comprehension to foreigners. 
f2 



*68 LONE LIFE : 

Our route to-day is north-east, so I determine to 
leave the trail and proceed north for two or three 
liours, then work eastward by north. When all 
were started on the line of march I struck off into 
the forest, half a dozen ball, and a couple of dozen 
shot cartridges in my pockets, and Skye at my heels. 
The little iron-grey beauty evidently had been in the 
society of a gun before, for he hunted the cover 
around me with all the energy and industry of a 
spaniel. Soon I found a family of ruffed grouse, 
out of which I killed a brace, so frequently after- 
wards repeating the performance that I soon had as 
many as I felt disposed to carry. Deer tracks were ex- 
tremely numerous, but I had not seen their producers; 
this might have been caused by my devoting myself 
entirely to the pursuit of the smaller game, or their 
being frightened by the occasional sharp bark of my 
dog. However I was not destined long to be denied 
the honour, for under a beech-tree, evidently picking 
up mast, I perceived a doe. Substituting ball for 
shot, I tried to stalk her, but Skye became excited 
and would not keep to heel, so lost me the shot. A 
little longer acquaintance with my new companion, 
and I feel certain, from his intelligent countenance, 
-that he will see the necessity of prompt and thorough 
.attention to my wishes. 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 69* 

Two hours, possibly a little more, I had travelled 
so far east by north, that I soon looked forward to 
striking the trail of my party. When crossing a fallen. 
tree, around which a tangle of briers had grown, a 
fawn of the past spring jumped up almost under my 
feet and bounded off. It was a nice clear easy shot, 
and when about thirty -five yards off I tumbled it 
literally in its own track. 

Taking the heart and liver, I pursued my way, 
breaking every fifty yards a branch from a tree, or 
limb from bush, to mark my course ; in half an hour 
afterwards I struck the trail, where, leaving a bough,, 
I hurried after the baggage party. About half-past 
three I overtook them preparing to camp for the 
night on the margin of one of the most charming, 
little lakes I ever remember to have seen. 

Its bosom was as calm as glass, not a ripple to be 
seen unless when a loon or fish broke water. On its 
placid surface reposed three picturesque rocky islands 
covered densely with coniferous and deciduous trees,, 
birch preponderating among the latter, their feathery 
aerial limbs in many situations drooping down till 
they almost kissed the water. 

A couple of months ago, when the foliage was in 
all the gorgeous colouring of autumn, this sequestered 
spot must have looked like fairyland, for even under 



70 LONE LIFE: 

present circumstances, with all the larger hardwood 
trees denuded of foliage, and a cold leaden sky over- 
head, it looked enchanting. 

An old squaw and one of the younger Indians were 
sent back for the fawn ; they returned about half- 
past six, looking very much knocked up by their 
additional exertion. In our camp there was feasting 
that night, and it was very late, I think past mid- 
night, before the gourmets ceased from banqueting. 

Day broke wet and miserable ; the shirker of ex- 
posure would have refused to turn out, and there was 
an obvious intention manifested to adopt a similar 
course, but I pretended not to see it, and by bustling 
about soon shamed into activity the indolently dis- 
posed. 

The season was already so late that it was abso- 
lutely necessary to push on, for although I expected 
to be overtaken by winter before reaching our desti- 
nation, still the nearer we got to it before that took 
place the better ; moreover, this was our last march 
on foot, for our next camping ground was on the 
margin of a river where the canoes of our party are 
secreted. 

There are few things more disagreeable than a 
march through woodland, where not only the ground 
is saturated with moisture, but every limb supports 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 71 

globules of water ; to brush against them you cannot 
avoid, and the moisture appears to penetrate further 
when thus come in contact with, than the rain itself. 
Our tramp was such a spiritless affair from these de- 
pressing influences that it very much resembled a 
funeral procession, and scarcely a word was spoken 
till the sun burst forth about mid-day, his influence 
on the energy of all being truly remarkable. 

Poteen has been permitted to run at large ; he 
evinces a great disposition to hunt, but objects 
slightly to the report of a gun ; some game killed in 
his presence will doubtless soon get him over this 
very worst of faults. 

Of all curs, and I have an intense dislike to the 
race, I never saw such a despicable lot as accompany 
our Indians, one in particular, a scantly, irregular- 
clothed, sharp-nosed, prick-eared, diminutive, starved 
brute. Inquiring from his owner why he kept such 
a miserable wretch, only fit to be shot, he answered 
" that he was the best bear, porcupine, and bird dog 
that they had." After this conversation half an hour 
had scarcely passed, when there was a sound to our 
right of a worry going on ; immediately a stampede 
was made to see the cause, your humble servant lead- 
ing the race. We were not long kept in doubt, for 
there was the dog whose character I had so ruthlessly 



72 LONE LIFE: 

attempted to take away, pitching into a porcupine 
much heavier than himself. The victim somehow or 
other the cur had turned upon its back, rendering its 
armour of spines useless, at the same time exposing 
the vulnerable stomach and chest, on which the assail- 
ant's tusks were busily engaged. After the battle 
was finished the plucky little vixen had not a wound. 
I'll bet no English dog would have come off scathless 
from such a contest. 

My protege, I must not forget to say, has changed 
very much in appearance. The first and most notice- 
able indication of improvement in health, is his skin, 
which has become moist and bright, instead of dry 
and scaly as formerly. There is nothing in the Indian 
races of North America that more surely denotes 
their state of health than their hide. The lad also 
has much improved in spirits, and his formerly ex- 
pressionless eye has become bright and observant. 
Although he carries a pack I have taken good care 
that he should not be overloaded, and so little does 
he now regard it, that he and Poteen are ever to be 
found about the van of the column. 

For a mile before we had reached the anticipated 
river the coniferous trees rapidly commenced to give 
place to hardwoods, which gradually became less and 
less abundant till we stood upon its banks. A noble 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 73 

stream truly it is, made up of rapids, pools, and 
reaches, with its course frequently divided my minia- 
ture islands. 

The respective loads being deposited on the site 
that we were to camp, while the majority were 
employed erecting a shelter, collecting firewood, or 
cooking, four of the men departed to look for their 
canoes, which were hid in a swamp some distance 
off. 

Next morning, about two hours after sunrise they 
returned, each paddling a birch-bark sufficiently 
large to carry six persons with comfort. As ex- 
posure to the atmosphere had made all of them 
leak more or less, the remainder of the day was 
spent caulking, refitting new ribs, or sewing up rents. 
The ingenuity of the workmen and skill with which 
they perform their task being truly wonderful. 

Having taken a rough observation of the course of 
the river, I struck off into the bush. Deer tracks 
wherever the soil was sufficiently soft to show the 
impression of the animals' hoofs, were most abundant. 
Before I had walked above two or three miles I saw 
several, but they were evidently shy, either from 
having heard the voices or chopping of my people, 
or smelt the smoke from the camp-fires. At length, 
however, I came across half a dozen together; two 



74 LONE LIFE : 

were standing, the others lying down. One of the 
former, a well-fed, large and restless-looking doe, ap- 
peared to be guard to the party, and as some minutes 
elapsed before I was within range, her uneasiness 
alarmed all and caused them to gain their feet. 

It could not be the wind that had warned them, 
for it was blowing from them to me, but some limb 
I had trod on, the sound of which breaking unno- 
ticed by myself, had been detected by their sensitive 
hearing. 

The watchful doe, who was apparently in the 
primest condition, was the first I took sight at. At the 
report she sprung into the air, staggered forward 
about twenty paces and fell ; the second barrel fired 
at the rearmost of the now retreating family party 
was less successful, for the quarry went off, hit 
I believe ; for few are inclined to acknowledge even 
to themselves that they have made a really bad shot. 

Another morning of rain ; too bad, as I desired 
very much to be afforded an opportunity of admiring 
the grand scenery which I feel convinced guards 
this river on either side, for it is impossible that such 
a lovely picture as rapids, pools, reaches, and islands, 
could be without a fitting setting. However, I must 
not grumble, things might be worse, moreover rain 
must fall, however objectionable it may occasionally 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 75 

be, particularly to those that are without shelter ; fine 
dry weather is certainly delightful, but an uninter- 
rupted succession of it would soon play mischief 
with the vegetable world, and what then would become 
of the animal kingdom ? 

One might as well expect the year to glide away 
without bad weather, as to pass through life without 
a rub of adversity — they both do good you may rely 
upon it, and the easiest way to feel their stings less 
poignant is to think so. 

An advantage that canoe travelling possesses over 
walking, is that you can muffle yourself up so as 
to escape a great deal of the drift, and you are not con- 
stantly saluted with boughs loaded with moisture, that 
appear to imagine their express duty to be to re- 
christen you, and this they do with no niggardly 
hand. 

But as before, at noon the sun exhibited his jolly 
roseate face, the fog momentarily after became 
thinner, and that that would not be absorbed politely 
floated off*, doubtless with the hope of escaping de- 
struction, a hope not to be realised. 

Talk of laughing waters, here they were in perfec- 
tion ; and so infectious became their example that 
both canoes and passengers followed the example as we 
glided, bounded, staggered, and again rushed onwards. 



76 LONE LIFE: 

It was a wild reckless race : the canoes, although 
handicapped with a freight, still striving whether 
they could beat the rapids in their velocity past rocks^ 
driftwood, and trees. The Indians looked happy> 
the dogs pleased, and I felt an exuberance of spirit, 
a freedom from restraint, a recklessness of danger 
that was truly delightful. 

At three hours by sun we had gone a long way, 
and the river, which now had become exhausted, and 
therefore sluggish from its former exertions, in- 
creased much in breadth. Our paddles appearing 
to be handled with scarcely the former energy, I 
thought of calling a halt, when a turn of a tree-clad 
point of land revealed the broad expanded surface of 
a lake, a sea almost in size ; and scarcely had I made 
this discovery ere our prows were turned to shore, 
the cargoes were rapidly transferred to the beach, 
and every one of the party became engaged in en- 
deavouring to unravel some most intricate knot his 
limbs had got twisted into while sitting in the bottom 
of the canoe. 

Towards evening I took a stroll. Ruffed grouse 
appeared everywhere. So abundant were they, that if 
I was not aware that they did not migrate, I should 
have thought they had assembled for that purpose. 
Yes, this country is well stocked with game, and that 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 77 

fellow knows it, and lias profited by his knowledge — 
■a bald-headed eagle — or he would not be sitting 
there so indolently with his cruel, relentless, vindic- 
tive eyes fixed on me, although not more than a hun- 
dred yards sever us. I had a great mind to put a 
bullet in a barrel and tumble him from his perch 
— you see two of a trade seldom agree — but didn't. 
I suppose the knowledge that he was first in posses- 
sion of this demesne, and thus had a prior claim, 
prevented me. 

A bleak cold camp, and a sleepless night, did not 
make me feel either good-tempered or anxious for 
exertion ; but the Indians are up and doing, a 
heavy, dark, drop-curtain of a cloud rising in the 
north stimulating them to renewed vigour to reduce 
the distance between themselves and home. If I am 
any judge of the weather — which I am not — it will 
snow before lon^. 

Striking across a wide bay, we soon caught a nice 
stiff breeze, such as amateur sailors — such gentle- 
men, I mean, as the expression is rather ambiguous, 
who wear blue reefing- jackets and white flannel trou- 
sers, canvas shoes and loud-patterned shirts, straw 
hats with blue ribbon, on which are emblazoned femi- 
nine names in gold letters, who prefer belts to braces, 
although half their time is occupied in tugging their 



78 LONE LIFE: 

nether apparel up to prevent it from falling down — 
yes, just such a breeze as they would designate a gale 
when they got on shore and joined the society of cou- 
sins Lou and Florence, or chat with those charming 
distingue girls (sotto voce let me say their father was 
once a mute, but has lately amassed a fortune as an 
undertaker). The young ladies simper and look in- 
credulous, for there has scarcely been a breath of 
wind on shore ; however, they are reminded that the 
most severe gales are local ; the late experience of 
the gallant amateurs is undoubtedly an instance of 
it, and from that moment Jones and Smith are 
heroes. 

I am afraid there is a tinge of satire in what 
I have just said; if there is not, I intend it, 
for between ourselves — it need not go any further 
you know — for a whole week I had been paying most 
devoted attention to such a nice girl, told her all my 
best stories, discussed typhoons, cyclones, and hurri- 
canes, adventures among niggers, Malay pirates, and 
South Sea Islanders — in fact, taken her all over the 
world, in imagination of course, and introduced her 
to every rock, nook, or cranny that I had ever visited, 
and would you believe it — I am certain you will not 
unless I back it up with strong language — by jingo ! 
she cut me for such an amateur sailor as I have so 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 79 

feebly attempted to describe, and by Jove, I had 
almost forgotten to add, the fellow wore an eye-glass ! 

With dirty blankets hoisted on paddles to do the 
duty of sails, we skimmed over the water right mer- 
rily, and by night had made double the distance we 
anticipated, and during the whole day not a flake 
of snow fell. It would pay a fellow to keep me, if 
it was a matter of consequence for him to know 
beforehand how the weather was going to be, for he 
would be certain to be right if he backed the reverse 
to what I predicted. 

From our present camp we have a portage of three 
miles ; the canoes of course have to be carried across,, 
so a day will be lost in the performance. 

I went over with the first load after breakfast, and 
having backed across a pack of fifty pounds weight, 
considered myself entitled to the remainder of the 
day, so I started down the stream on which we embark 
on the morrow. Not more than half a mile had I pro- 
ceeded when I surprised a doe moose swimming across 
from my side to the other. As she had not seen me 
and I was close, I found time to alter my shot for ball. 
With the first barrel I hit her very hard, so hard that 
she floundered heavily ; but still I think had sufficient 
go left to get off, so I put in the second at the moment 
she gained her footing before reaching the shore. On 



80 LONE LIFE : 

receiving the ball the poor thing roached her back 
so high that she appeared unable to get her feet to 
the ground; a few steps she moved forward, then fell 
upon her head against the bank. Having now 
enough fresh meat and to spare, I sauntered back to 
camp, and spent the afternoon gun cleaning, washing 
clothes, and darning socks. Although thus employed 
I could not help observing the immense quantities of 
wild-fowl following up the course of the river ; as 
their flight was high they were doubtlessly migrating 
south. 

Antoine I see very little of, my appearance or 
manner evidently have not favourably impressed 
him, so we seldom exchange above half a dozen 
words at a time ; still that does not prevent my no- 
ticing that he looks sulky and far from amicable in 
frame of mind. At the same time I will do him the 
credit to say, he never shirks his work, or gives me 
any occasion to find fault. 

This evening: he informed me that to-morrow we 
shall be at our winter quarters, a most gratifying 
piece of intelligence, so all night I kept conjuring 
up what kind of place the site of our future home 
was to be. 

Next evening at sunset my curiosity was satisfied, 
and I may add gratified. It was a comparatively 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 81 

open piece of turf-covered land, sparsely covered with 
trees that, from the river making a bend, formed 
a promontory. The throat of a rapid enclosed by 
high rocks was above the situation I selected for the 
shanty, beneath was a long placid pool, fringed in 
places by alder and birch. 



VOL. I. 



£2 LONE LIFE : 



CHAPTER VI. 

In the morning, after vainly attempting to persuade 
the Indians to remain a day or two longer, so that I 
might have their services in house building, they 
departed. I feel certain that the poor fellows were 
willing enough ; but the head man, pointing to the 
ducks that were still flying from the north in undi- 
minished quantities, said : 

u Winter soon come now, and Indian got long 
way to go." 

After paying them they thanked me, and were evi- 
dently amply satisfied. But when they were about 
to go, I added a few trifling presents to what they 
had already received, and their gratitude was strongly 
expressed in looks, although in few words. I sat 
upon the bank and saw the last of them ; as they were 
disappearing round the first bend in the stream, I 
gave them a cheer ; long after the trees had shut them 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 83 

out of sight I heard them answering. So much for 
the much abused race. 

I felt low-spirited when I turned towards my 
future home. To give way to it was simply absurd, 
and to get get rid of it there was nothing like work, 
so I got hold of my axe and set to cutting up and 
clearing away brush with a thorough goodwill. 

In the mean time Antoine was constructing near 
at hand a very snug bush camp in case snow com- 
menced to fall, or severe weather impeded our work. 
Over a respite in our labours, the size and plan of 
our shanty was settled, viz., twelve feet by eight, 
with a door at one end and a look-out hole at the 
other, to be kept closed except in fine weather, or when 
required for purposes of observation. A fireplace was 
not required, for we had got a stove made from sheet 
iron, that shut up like a pigeon trap, and several 
sheets of tin with solder and rosin with which to 
make piping. That afternoon and the next two days 
were employed cutting and notching logs, or roll- 
ing them with handspikes to our future building site. 

Antoine I found a most skilful fellow in the use 
of an axe, and a perfect genius in all matters calcu- 
lated to make a person feel at home in the woods in 
the shortest imaginable space of time. 

I had been watching his deftness, while taking a 
G2 



84 LONE LIFE : 

puff at my pipe, for I had been rather severely tried 
in rolling, as I considered, an unnecessary large log up 
an incline into its place, when both dogs sprung to 
their legs, and barking vociferously, rushed down by 
the bank of the river. Looking in the direction I saw 
an Indian approaching. Calling off Skye and Poteen 
the stranger came directly to us. He was a tall, well- 
built, very good-looking for his race, old man. 

In answer to my salutation he gave a grunt, then 
stood leaning upon his gun for quite an hour in one 
position, without opening his lips, I in the mean time 
going about my business as if no one was there. 
Feeling a desire for another pipe, I pulled out my 
pouch, loaded up, lit it from an ember,* and com- 
menced to blow a cloud. The Indian's countenance 
lit up. I held the pouch towards him, he took it, filled 
his pipe, and sat down beside me. 

At length he got up, said : " I go home, you good 
man, Indian say so," and turned on his heel and 
marched off. Give a dog a bad name, and you may 
hang him, give him a good one and you may let him 
live ; so I looked now forward to not being cut off in 

the bloom of 1 was going to say youth, but will 

substitute manhood. 

" Well, how did that tarnation Ked-skin know we 
were here ?" inquired Antoine, after he had departed. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 85 

4i Blest if I know," I responded. 

For some time my companion scratched his head 
and afterwards bit his nails, both actions being cal- 
culated to assist thought. In a few minutes after, 
having received benefit from the proceeding, he 
favoured me with the result. 

u I guess the Indians that packed our load across, 
told him." 

This solution of the difficulty was the only one I 
could think of. 

In the morning before we had finished breakfast 
the old chief, for so I have learned he is, turned up 
again, and with him two young men, each about three 
or f our-and-twenty. When we commenced work they 
turned to also, and soon our structure grew rapidly 
under the efforts of our increased force. Little now 
was wanting but the roof — this they understood, and 
that evening we had birch bark enough to make it. 

Next morning I told the old chief, who had now 
become a little more loquacious, that I wanted a 
eanoe, pointing to Antoine and the boy as the number 
of inmates it was to carry. In the evening he left 
us, and the following night he arrived with exactly 
what I required. His companions now were two girls ; 
judging from appearance the elder was about eighteen, 
the other two years younger. Their home was evi- 



86 LOKE LIFE : 

dently down the river, for that was the direction from 
whence they had come. 

Two days after our roof was finished heavy snow 
commenced to fall, preventing all description of out- 
door labour; but there was an abundance of work 
for all to do inside. The Indians, whom I paid 
liberally, for I wished to propitiate them, left ; and 
we were again alone in our solitude. 

Although some time has passed we are not yet 
finished in our labour, new holes are constantly being 
discovered in the walls that require fresh chinking,, 
and articles of luxury, such as chairs and tables, 
to be rebuilt, from legs being irregular lengths, or not. 
sufficiently firmly put together. Still the little place 
has assumed a home-like look, and the dogs snarl 
and growl at each other as if each was jealous of the 
comfort the other enjoyed. 

Antoine has done good work and not spared him- 
self, moreover he has become more agreeable, and does 
not hesitate when the humour is on him to tell of his 
adventures in the Eocky Mountains, of his perform- 
ances in shooting buffalo and grizzlies. He had con- 
cluded a long yarn one night, and finished off by 
regretting that I had never visited that region. 
Waiting for him to quite finish, I told him I knew 
all about it, and had spent a long time there. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 87 

His eyes opened and continued doing so, till an 
observer might have imagined they objected to a 
bridge between them, and there and then intended 
to do away with it. 

The Indian lad was most willing and obliging; 
rapidly his figure increased in size, but the way his 
paunch grew was something wonderful. It is cer- 
tainly a useful portion of a man's body, but that is 
no reason it should be allowed to take liberties. 

Altogether we w T ere most comfortable, and had 
every reason to be grateful to Providence for having 
subtended to us such a succession of good luck. 

Having succeeded now in making the interior 
weather-tight, and constructed the few articles of 
furniture necessary, also got the routine of our daily 
life into a regular groove, I consider that I am fairly 
entitled to take my leisure and enjoy the field 
sports and pleasures of a life for which I have come 
so far. 

Already I have got a pretty good idea of the plan 
of the country within a mile of the shanty, and have 
learned that the river for upwards of ten miles runs 
from the south nearly due north, not making allow- 
ance for bends and elbows, so if I have the misfor- 
tune at any time to get lost on the east side of the 
stream, by travelling west by compass I am pretty 
certain to find it, and vice versa. 



88 LONE LIFE : 

I am more than an ordinarily good hand in the 
woods, still I am not an Indian, and previous ex- 
perience has taught me that it is better not to be 
too reliant on my power of finding my way, especially 
through dense swamp and heavily clad ridges of 
pine, where everything you see around you appears 
a perfect counterpart of what you may have passed 
hours before ; so at least for the present^ I am re- 
solved not to go far from home without having the 
reliable company of my compass. 

I have discovered already that, however good an 
axe-man Antoine is, that he is but indifferently fond 
of hunting, for now we are at our destination, in 
the middle of our preserve, he neither expresses any 
desire to commence the campaign against the moose 
and cariboo, but has even ceased to expatiate on 
his former exploits in their pursuit. He does not 
even care about accompanying me, always having 
the excuse that his traps must be looked to, for 
that trapping "make almighty more dollars than 
burning powder." In this there is a certain amount 
of truth, at the same time hunting must be done to 
enable us to live to carry on trapping, and it is clearly 
evident that my attendant expects me to supply him 
with food while he collects a good pack of furs for 
the next season's market. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 89 

Although this is quite contrary to our arrange- 
ment, still I suppose it is better to submit to the im- 
position. As I never expected to make money out of 
my trip, or even make it pay the light expenses which 
at most it can only incur, still, if I have a wish in the 
matter, and I have further the idea that such wish 
deserves humouring, I would rather for some time 
to come hunt in society than alone. Of course the 
Indian boy could be taken, . and a clever, smart, 
obliging lad he is, but some person is required at the 
shanty when both the Frenchman and self are 
absent, for our evening meal has got to be prepared, 
and who knows some visitors might arrive when least 
expected, who finding no one to protect my property, 
consider themselves justified in appropriating to 
their own use what struck their fancy. I have known 
such things occur before, and experiences of the kind 
are those dearly learned lessons which ought not to 
be forgotten. 

My Indian neighbours I am not much afraid of ; 
they have not mixed enough with traders, or fre- 
quented the vicinity of settlements enough to have 
become sufficiently contaminated to be thieves, and 
if they did so far forget themselves, they reside 
so close to me that I should sooner or later discover 
their peccadillo, and either through the aid of a high 



90 LONE LIFE: 

hand, or through the assistance of the chief , who 
really appears an aristocratic old fellow, be able to 
obtain redress. 

No, it is the white trapper, trader, lumberman, or 
voyageur, that is to be dreaded, for very many, I 
won't say all that adopt these lives, are the sweepings 
of society. And although I hope to see none of 
these worthies, still there is no telling what may 
cause them to leave their ordinary route, and by 
chance pass my residence, when they would not fail 
to land and gratify their curiosity with a " look at the 
outlandish home, that some half-cracked squatter or 
blarsted Johnny Bull had chosen." 

Well, " sufficient is the evil for the day thereof," 
and I have no idea, certainly no hope, to be honoured 
by a visit till after winter has passed by any one of 
my own colour. 

The weather one morning being admirable for 
creeping, id est, stalking cariboo, for the snow is soft 
and the timber wet, I started soon after break of day 
to see how much luck was in store for me. On my 
way through the large timber I saw a great many 
spruce grouse, which I desisted from shooting at from 
a desire not to alarm the neighbourhood, and so get a 
fair opportunity to note what stock of large game the 
locality supported. I also came across the track of a 
very large moose, who, judging from his stride, must 



A TEAE IN THE WTLDEKNESS. 91 

have been on urgent private affairs, so I left him to 
his duty, only hoping that we should yet meet. 

I had gone nearly three miles before I came across 
cariboo tracks, the first I observed being rather stale, 
so I disregarded them, getting by degrees into more 
sparsely timbered land where more and fresher indica- 
tions were numerous. Pushing due east for some 
minutes I came out on a barren, very park-like in 
scenery, and well scored over with prints, so much so 
that it was like what might have been expected in a 
densely populated deer park ; however, I could see no 
game. Knowing from past experience, if you once dis- 
turb cariboo, they go right off out of the neighbour- 
hood, not stopping till they have placed miles between 
themselves and the object of their dread, I returned 
into the friendly shelter of the timber and determined 
to retain it till I saw my quarry. The reindeer is a large 
animal, still it is most difficult to see when in a state 
of repose, so much so that the uninitiated would 
scarcely believe that possibly the place on which his- 
eyes were fixed, not a hundred and fifty yards off, and 
not superabundantly stocked with brush, sheltered 
four or five of these noble animals. Such was almost 
my case, for I had most carefully inspected a little 
copse of dwarf hemlock and hazel from the back of 
a log, and had all but come to the conclusion that it 
was tenantless, when a deer rose like something that 



92 LONE LIFE : 

had been shoved up through the earth, exactly where 
I had gazed several minutes and perceived nothing. 

The trails around had made me cautious, they 
were so fresh and numerous, yet up to this moment 
I had sighted nothing, and almost commenced to 
think that the producers of them had been gifted 
with the power of turning invisible ; but such fancies 
were now dispelled. 

Being desirous of making certain of my quarry, 
I changed my situation and advanced under shelter 
of the side of a large decayed prostrate tree, to 
within seventy yards. I had an admirable broad- 
side shot ; the stricken beast staggered, spun round, 
and lurched forward on its head, four others, in 
the mean time, jumping up and making off, all 
of them nearer to me than the creature I had shot ; 
still I had not previously noticed them, in fact their 
sudden appearance on the scene startled me so much, 
for it was so thoroughly unexpected, apparently im- 
possible, that they had gone too far before I thought 
of giving one of them the second barrel. 

In an hour more I obtained another shot most un- 
expectedly. A cariboo I had not previously seen, 
jumped up within twenty yards of me, and I broke 
his hip before he had gone double that distance, and 
a smashed hind leg, not like a fore one, puts a certain 
stopper on further progression. While examining this 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 93 

beauty, which had much more white about it than the 
species usually possess, I observed four cariboos out 
upon the barren, and apparently admirably situated 
for a stalk, but having killed enough meat I desisted. 

I returned to the shanty perfectly satisfied with the 
results of my exploration, and feel certain that if 
assisted by two or three companions who would keep 
the game moving, half a dozen might easily be killed 
by one gun between morning and night from a well- 
selected stand. 

On arriving at home I despatched the Indian boy to 
the camp of my red neighbours to request that they 
would give me assistance to drag 'the game out of 
the woods. Although the distance was quite ten 
miles, and the ground covered with soft damp snow, 
the lad performed his errand and was back in eight 
hours, for which amount of expedition he got a good 
wigging, I never for a moment wishing or supposing 
that he would think of returning the same night. 
Moreover, I had my fears for a child of his age 
travelling over such a long solitary reach, for wolves 
nightly were heard around the shanty, and the species 
found here, the large grey wolf, is not always to be 
trusted when winter has placed her stamp on the 
landscape. 

Next morning the old chief, his squaw, two 
daughters, and a young hunter arrived ; for a portion 



94 LONE LIFE: 

of the meat and a plug of tobacco they agreed to 
pack both the carcases home. Their hunters, they 
said, u had very bad hunt this season, their powder so 
very bad." This I could quite believe, for the trash 
the traders often foist off on these primitive people 
is truly disgraceful. 

For instance, I have known twenty-five pounds of 
gunpowder transformed into fifty by the addition to 
it of an equal quantity of charred wood ; the result 
is that the Indian must, literally speaking, almost be 
touching his game before he is certain of bringing 
it to bag. The poor old chief remarked to me so feel- 
ingly, that I could not help commiserating him, that 
a My people be very hungry before this winter over, 
I guess." Not if I can help it, I mentally resolved. 

As no snow had fallen my back track told them the 
way. Two trips they made that day, and in them 
backed home the two cariboos, therefore the party can 
scarcely have walked less than twenty-five miles, and 
the greater part of the journey bearing a heavy 
load, over ground slippery and wet, in every way 
unsuited for travelling. I think that there are few 
Englishmen could do the same ; yet these people are 
slight in their build, impressing one more with an 
appearance of agility than strength. 

It was quite evident to me that evening, as we sat 



A TEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 95 

over our after-supper pipe, that Antoine was smitten 
with the charms of the youngest daughter, a stout, 
compact, good-natured, little round-faced girl of about 
sixteen ; for much of his conversation was addressed 
to her, and his eyes, when his tongue was silent, 
seemed to regard her as the centre of attraction. The 
old squaw did not apparently object, but rather the 
reverse, possibly being pleased with the idea of pos- 
sessing a white son-in-law. Thus it will be seen that 
match-making mothers are not confined to Belgravia, 
Brixton, and Dalston, but are to be found in the wig- 
wams of the redoubted Ked-man. When it was 
time to turn in, courtesy did not induce me to give 
up my bunk, so the chief and his family fell asleep 
on the green cariboo hides, their blankets with some 
of mine forming their covering, the remainder of 
the party finding a sleeping place on the other end of 
the floor. So many human beings packed in so small 
a dormitory, I felt convinced was not conducive to 
health ; in fact, I thought that, if it long continued, 
we would become like a bait kettle overstocked with 
minnows ; but, under the circumstances, what could 
I do but submit, for it was out of the question to 
send them forth into the snow-clad woods after their 
exertions of the previous day. 



96 LONE LIFE: 



CHAPTER VII. 

In the morning after all had partaken of an ample 
breakfast, I discharged in full my liabilities, adding 
a pound of good gunpowder for the old man, a very 
seedy wide-awake for the old lady, a string of beads 
for each of the girls, and half a dozen fish-hooks 
for each of the others. All departed happy, and pro- 
mised soon to renew their visit. 

I wish very much to keep on good terms with these 
primitive people. Such a desire is not dictated solely 
from a want of selfishness, for they may be to me of 
the greatest use ; so if treating them fairly, and never 
swerving one iota from my promises, w T ill make them 
friends, I have resolved that they shall be. 

Antoine, who has been tolerably successful with 
his traps heretofore, has lately had a run of bad 
luck. This he accounts for by a wolverine, or glutton, 
having discovered them, which follows him ; devours 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 97 

all the baits, and springs his traps. The last part 
of the story I scarcely believe, although I have 
heard this animal accredited with such malpractices 
before. 

Thus he is perfectly disheartened at this contre- 
temps, and actually proposes changing our residence, 
a thing I will not for a moment listen to. Almost 
snivelling, certainly in such whining accents as nearly 
approach it, he says : 

" No use for me to set any more traps then ; if I 
stop here my winter hunt spoiled, for that devil never 
leave here while I set a trap." 

" Why don't you trap him then ?" 

" Oh ! he know too much ; he know enough to 
keep an hotel." 

After such an assertion I concluded that the effort 
would be useless. 

A few days after he came in whining as usual, 
and imprecating his bad luck ; it w T as needless trying 
to pacify him, to all I could say he had one retort : 

" I poor man, my winter hunt spoilt, what do you 
care?" &c. 

At length I got him to listen to me. I promised 
to go his round with him in the morning, and we 
would devise some means of outwitting the ma- 
rauder. His countenance, however, clearly expressed 

vol. I. H 



98 LONE LIFE : 

that he thought I must be a fool to think I could 
trap a wolverine. 

It was snowing gently in the morning when we 
started ; the line of traps lay for some distance along 
the river, then ceased for a mile or two till we 
reached a miniature lake, on the margin of which he 
had three. True enough the baits were all gone, and 
several of the traps sprung ; so the snivel commenced 
to reappear on my comrade's countenance when the 
last was reached. 

I was rather at my wit's end to devise a stra- 
tagem that promised success. At length a thought 
struck me, and I resolved to act upon it. 

" Pick up your traps, Antoine, and bring them 
along." 

Without a question he did so ; following our previous 
course backwards we soon had them all gathered. 

u Well, now, where do you get your bait from ? 
where is it, man ?" In a moment he produced it. 

" Now," said I, " set your trap." A look certainly 
not denoting confidence in my skill as a trapper 
passed over his countenance ; but he did exactly what 
I told him, and possibly with more than usual care. 
" Well, now, take all the other traps, about a dozen in 
number, and place them at short distances around it." 
This he did also. 

" We'll just stop here till the snow covers them," 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 99 

I continued ; for the snow was coming down fast by 
this time, and we did so till not a vestige of one was to 
be seen. Then we started for home, I wishing with 
all my heart that my device would turn out successful. 
In the morning — I doubting still hoping — we returned. 
The ground was tramped down in every direction, 
while two of the traps were gone. An extraordinary 
track led towards the woods ; this we followed, and 
soon overtook the object of our pursuit ; which had a 
trap on a fore and another on a hind foot, a pair of 
boots that did not add to his powers of locomotion. 

So vicious looked our foe, and so determined to do 
mischief if within reach of his pursuers, that I gave 
him the contents of a barrel at most destructive 
short range. He did not rob any more traps, I can 
vouch for. 

From that date I was a great hunter in Antoine's 
estimation, if credence was to be placed in what he 
said. Over and over a«;ain he narrated the whole 
affair to the Indians, a dozen times I am sure I 
listened to it ; but this I will say that, like old and 
simple stories we knew in our childhood, it was revived 
with variations and did not diminish in lustre. 

Antoine's success was all he could desire after the 
above episode, and for the present no further mention 
was made by him of leaving the shanty. 

h2 



100 LONE LIFE: 

Although the river is frozen across, we are never 
■•■short of fish when the weather is sufficiently mild to 
permit our going out to capture them. Our modes 
of proceeding to accomplish our object are so novel 
to the English sportsman, that at least they deserve 
explanation. 

First a hole is cut in the ice and over it is built a 
'hut sufficiently large for a person to sit in. This 
diminutive shelter is made as dark as possible, an 
opening only being left in the roof for the uninter- 
rupted passage of the pole of the fisherman's fish spear. 

The sportsman inside the structure must be pro- 
vided with a live bait, or if such is not procurable a 
wooden representative of one, loaded underneath 
with lead to keep it upright. Whichever of these 
used is lowered into the orifice in the ice, and 
frequently drawn to the surface, the fisherman in the 
mean time holding in his right-hand the spear, or 
more properly grains, with which he intends to strike 
his prey. At length a hungry trout has seen the 
lure and follows it to the surface, hovering about the 
ice-hole anxious for a chance to gratify his appetite. 
Down comes the spear, the victim is shoved to the 
bottom till the barbs have passed through him, when 
he is leisurely drawn to the surface, and thrown out 
upon the ice. - 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 101 

This is not slow work, for at this season the trout 
are greedy feeders on these northern rivers, so in the 
course of an hour many may be taken, the majority 
being of very large size. 

The other plan is more simple. A strong line is 
carried by two persons, one at either end, and thus 
stretched across a rapid that from the velocity of its 
current is not frozen. From this main line are attached 
several droppers, at the termination of each being a 
hook baited with a shiner; if nothing else is obtainable, 
a piece of rind of pork will answer. These droppers 
are lowered into the current, and permitted even to 
drift under the ice. When a pluck from a fish is 
observable each person strikes, but does not draw 
out the fish that has probably become attached, for 
its struggles will not intimidate its companions from 
taking the other baits. By this means in a short space 
of time a trout may be secured on each hook. After 
the first captures have been made, no scarcity of bait 
need exist, for there is nothing more killing than a 
strip from the stomach of one of their fellows. 

After all, the most that can be said of both these 
methods of taking fish is, that they are poaching, 
rascally inventions, and only justifiable when frail 
humanity are requiring food. 

For several nights the wolves have been giving us 



102 LONE LIFE: 

evidence of their vocal powers. They have often 
yelled so close to the shanty, that I feel convinced they 
are frequently within range of it, so with a charge of 
buck-shot in each barrel I kept wait for the gentry, but 
as usual under such circumstances they did not come. 
However, an hour after I had gone to bed they 
opened the concert, and the Indian lad awoke me. 
Slipping on sufficient clothes for the emergency, I 
noiselessly opened the door, glided round the corner 
of the house, so as to command a view of where the 
refuse from our cooking was thrown. On it and by it 
were five splendid fellows, each as large as a rough 
deer-hound, but twice as bulky. The stars were 
shining brightly, and the snow reflecting their light 
made it almost as clear as day, so there was no dif- 
ficulty in taking aim. With the first barrel I tumbled 
over one fellow dead, with the other I did such injury 
as to cause the stricken animal to leave a very con- 
spicuous blood-track in the snow. 

The winter has nearly passed at last. I will not dis- 
guise that it was a dreary period, so much so as to 
make our lives a near approach to imprisonment. True 
there were occasional days when the temperature was 
not sufficiently low to frighten us from going to the 
river or having a scour over the barrens ; but they 
were the exception, far from the rule ; however, when- 
ever we did, we reaped our reward, for nature has not 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 103 

bestowed animal life on this neighbourhood with a 
niggard hand. It was therefore with feelings of in- 
tense gratification that I saw in the mornings a hard 
crust upon the snow, indicative of thaw by day but of 
frost by night, but nevertheless a certain monitor of 
spring's advent. 

The Indians having provided me with snow-shoes, 
I availed myself of the first chance to go in pursuit 
of moose ; it was not long before they were found, 
and duly run down and killed. Whatever I thought 
once, it is needless to say my ideas at the present 
time are, that you might as well go into a barn-yard 
and shoot down domestic cattle. Unless to provide 
food when human beings would otherwise suffer from 
its want, I agree with Captain Hardy, a well-known, 
and most reliable authority on the field-sports of the 
Lower Provinces, that to kill moose when a heavy 
crust takes place is a most unjustifiable proceeding, 
so a description of the scenes and modus operandi I will 
leave out. 

The maples, which are not very numerous in this 
locality, are perfectly spouting with sap. I have 
tapped several trees, and in a short time received a 
bucketful from each ; but as we have not a pot suf- 
ficiently large to boil it down in, so as to obtain 
a commensurate reward for our labour, it has been 
decided not to attempt sugar making. 



104 LONE LIFE: 

Independent of this notice of the approach of 
spring, the Indian boy saw a robin, and I have had 
the pleasure of listening to his sweet melodious notes, 
I hope the poor fellow has not been rash in getting 
so far north thus early, for the states neighbouring 
New York and Pennsylvania are his winter habitat. 

From the rapidity with which the thaw has taken 
place after its commencement I have for some days ex- 
pected that the ice upon the lake, from which our river 
flows, would break up. I know no more magnificent 
sight, one that impresses the beholder so thoroughly 
with his insignificance, than to behold the breaking up 
of ice upon an extensive lake or river. To those who 
have not spent their lives in northern climates, the 
entire scene is so novel and impressive that the beholder 
stands awe-stricken. Some years ago, when visiting 
Buffalo, I had the fortune to be an eye-witness to 
the breaking up of the ice on Lake Erie. It was my 
first experience of such a sight, and the impression 
that it made upon me was one that I shall never 
forget. Curiosity not unmixed with fear, pleasure 
alloyed with dread, both rapidly flitted through 
my brain as I wonderingly gazed upon the gigantic 
fields of snow-covered ice floating towards their 
destruction, and their vast surfaces a moment after 
collision with the . shore severing into innumerable 
undefinable irregular fragments. Of course, where I 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 105 

was now residing I could not expect to witness any- 
thing so grand as a flow of ice entering Niagara 
River, for the stream that passed our shanty was but 
a rivulet in comparison to the great connecting link 
that unites Lakes Erie and Ontario. Nevertheless, 
I looked most anxiously forward to the breaking up, 
and sincerely hoped it would not occur during the 
night. 

I was sitting in the shanty tying some flies, for I 
eagerly anticipated the period when I should be able 
to indulge in my favourite pursuit, and therefore did 
not delay getting all my fishing-tackle in thorough 
order before that time arrived that the services 
of my trout-rod would be called into play, when I 
heard Antoine's voice suddenly raised, requesting 
me to come out and join him. 

Now my half-breed Frenchman was not of an 
excitable temperament, so I knew that something 
serious had occurred to cause him to raise his voice 
so high. When I joined him he was standing axe in 
hand by the wood pile, for he had been engaged 
cutting up firewood. As soon as he was aware that 
I was at his side, he inquired, " Hear you the ice ?" 
I listened, and could clearly detect a grunting heavy 
sound. After a few minutes' silence he said, " Soon, 
Cap, we have plenty clear water ; the ice be down 
here in half an hour." 



106 LONE LIFE: 

And true to his statement the advance guard of the 
broken fields commenced to make its appearance 
in the time specified. Wishing to have the best view 
of the novel sight, I took my stand upon one of the 
rocks that abutted on the river, and contracted its 
breadth into half its ordinary size. At first only a 
few spasms in the surface appeared, soon after 
followed by large rents, which were ultimately suc- 
ceeded by a wall of peaks and slabs piled upon one 
another in the wildest confusion. As they floated 
towards me down the comparatively speaking placid 
pool above the rock on which I stood, but a trifling 
alteration took place in their outline ; however, at the 
moment it entered the surging, boiling, contracted 
rapid, each portion of the floating ice appeared to 
struggle with the other to retain the surface ; thus 
pieces, sometimes tons in bulk, would be shot up over 
the ice underneath, ultimately to fall down and break 
into a thousand glittering prisms. I do not ex- 
aggerate when I say that I observed numerous 
blocks of ice over a foot deep and yards in diameter 
shelved up fifteen or twenty paces upon the shore, 
while the continual grinding, crushing, and snapping 
•of miniature bergs produced a din that might have 
been heard miles off ; the only sound that I can liken 
to it is a continued succession of forest trees falling. 



A YEAK IN THE WILDEENESS. 107 

Just below the rapid where the water eddied with 
sufficient calmness to make it apparently a splendid 
trout pool, an immense pine snag had lodged. Often 
previously I had looked at it and wished that I had 
the power to remove it, or that it had not been there, 
for I felt convinced that when the fishing season 
commenced it would rob me of many a fly, possibly 
of many a yard of gut. With what satisfaction then 
did I see the irresistible wall of ice strike it ; for a 
few moments there was a halt in its movement, but 
the rear-guard pushing on the advance, gave addi- 
tional power, and the decayed pine-tree gradually 
swung round, halted again for a few instants when 
its branches caught the opposite shore, then dis- 
engaging itself floated before the irresistible chaotic 
mass. 

All that night and the next day the ice continued 
to flow onwards, but in diminished quantities, till on 
the third day not a vestige remained to tell of winter's 
mantle that had so long locked the lake above in her 
embrace ; so winter had fairly broken up, and soon 
the country around will be free for me to travel 
in whatever direction the spirit prompts. 

Few days pass that some incident or other does 
not transpire to afford amusement or food for study, 
and our lives are far from being as dull and un- 



108 LONE LIFE : 

interesting as might be imagined. One great source 
of regret I am constantly recurring to, viz., not having 
half a bushel or more seed potatoes, for from the 
amount of clearing we have done to supply firewood 
and building material for the shanty, there is nearly 
half an acre now eligible for the cultivation of that 
excellent and most useful bulb, moreover the soil is 
admirably suited for their growth, and with the 
top dressing of ashes that we could give it, would 
doubtless produce a noble crop, if late frosts should 
not occur. 

My protege, who has been away for a ramble in the 
woods, for all his spare time is spent in setting snares 
or inventing infernal machines with which to trap 
the unwary beasts or birds of the locality, has just 
returned, grinning from ear to ear. This I know is 
an index of more than ordinary success. 

" What have you got there, youngster V 

" Catchee baby mooin," struggling hard to hold 
some animal which he has in a sack, and which ap- 
pears to be very unwilling to remain captive. 

6i Mooin ! I don't understand ; young bear do you 
say?" 

"Yes, Capen, young mooin ; young devil, he scratch 
and bite awful, you see ;" so he turned the sack up ? 
and out fell the little snarling vixen. 

The prize was about the size of a small King Charles 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 109 

spaniel ; but in its small carcase existed the ferocity 
of a full-grown representative of his family. No 
efforts to conciliate had the slightest effect, so after 
it had bitten me through the boot, and torn into 
shreds a pair of my unmentionables, the young Indian 
was ordered to build a house for his pet out-cloors. 
This was soon accomplished, and the establishment 
smelt sweeter after the cub's expulsion. 

As the she bear is very attached to her young, 
it is almost unaccountable how this little termagant 
was alone. Poteen found him and drove him up a 
sapling, his barking bringing the boy to the place. 
It was lucky for the small Indian that the mother did 
not return while he was up the tree, or it would have 
been all up a tree with him. 

Antoine for some days past harps upon the 
subject of opening a trade with such Indians as may 
be in the locality, and urges quite eloquently that 
the sum of money to be made through doing so 
would be immense. To all this I turn an indifferent 
ear, for the reason that such were not the inducements 
for my coming here ; beside, the limited stock of 
things I have are now scarcely more than necessary 
for our own use, more especially if anything should 
occur to prevent our leaving at the time originally 
intended. 

I suppose that seeing the subject was not interesting 



110 LONE LIFE: 

to me, he altered his tactics, and asked if I would object 
to his leaving me for a time, more especially as he 
thought he saw a prospect of bettering himself. I 
replied, I would rather he did not, but that he was 
his own master ; and wishing to terminate the con- 
versation I took my gun and went out. 

The young bear had been only three days a captive* 
I was lying on my bunk smoking my evening pipe> 
for supper was over, when the boy came in, for he 
had been sent to procure firewood ; tears were in 
his eyes. As I had never seen him cry before, I 
thought something serious must have happened, so 
I asked him what was the matter. 

"My mooin gone," he said, and fairly broke down. 

So I had to turn comforter and assure him, " poor 
little baby, he shall have another mooin ;" but it was 
a long time before my consolation appeared beneficial. 
On examination we discovered the cub had slipped 
his collar. " Good riddance," thought I. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. Ill 



CHAPTER VIII. 

The floating ice had scarcely disappeared from the 
river before wild-duck made their appearance, not 
at first in large flights, but in half-dozens or more, 
the advance guard of the main body. 

It is extraordinary the instinct which teaches these 
birds to know when they may advance with safety 
into a country that heretofore has been ice-bound. 
Although in the autumn I have known them make a 
mistake, and linger about a favourite haunt till they 
have ultimately got frozen in — not figuratively, for 
I have found them hard and fast in such a posi- 
tion — still in spring they never overstep the limits of 
prudence. 

First came the pin-tail, or pheasant duck, always 
the forerunner, and, consequently, the most adven- 



112 LONE LIFE: 

turous of his family ; not wild as they are generally 
f onnd to be npon the prairies, but reckless of all danger 
as long as they can follow the river's course. As 
their flesh is ever good, and a most acceptable change 
from the diet on which we had been living for months, 
I availed myself of their arrival to add to our larder. 
In the course of an afternoon, certainly within two 
hours' shooting, I killed over three dozen, and only 
desisted because my stock of ammunition was com- 
mencing to show visible signs of diminution. 

Of all shooting I have ever participated in, this 
was the most old-fogeyish ; for I had nought to do but 
sit upon the rock that formed the gate into the rapid, 
and wait for the birds' arrival ; and as the river was 
not tortuous for over some distance above my 
position, their approach could be seen long before 
they came within range. Moreover, this work re- 
quired no retriever, for the carcases of those that fell 
in the stream were generally washed ashore before 
they had floated many yards. 

There was feasting in camp that night, for the pin- 
tail duck, in these inland regions, is a splendid 
table bird, well fed and tender, and worthy of being 
considered a bonne bouclie among epicures. 

After the pin-tails* had passed to more northern 
haunts, the glorious green-headed mallard came ; 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 113 

although progenitor of our tame duck, with which 
every one is familiar, still familiarity in this instance 
does not breed contempt. 

That grey breast and lustrous green neck is the 
perfection of combination of colour, and the strength 
and velocity with which his strong wings cleave the 
air, adds to his other attractions. A prince among 
game I pronounce him, and there are few who deserve 
the name of sportsmen will doubt that such an appel- 
lation is not deservedly bestowed. 

Beyond killing a few couple I did not molest them, 
for although anyhow I might have knocked over a 
dozen, they were not required, and so I permitted 
them unmolested to proceed to their far-north breed- 
ing ground, from which in autumn they will doubt- 
lessly return with replenished numbers. 

The flight of the mallard continued for nearly a 
week, the rear-guard being better fed, and, conse- 
quently, in better condition than those who had gone 
before. These were the drones of the migratory herd, 
willing to enjoy the advantages exposed by their 
more adventurous comrades. 

But duck shooting did not here terminate for 

more than six weeks after the ice had broken ; 

in fact, there was not an hour of the day but 

that teal, black duck, and mergansers in large 

VOL. I. I 



114 LONE LIFE: 

flocks followed the course of the river to their breed- 
ing haunts. 

Geese also passed in large numbers during the 
day, generally too high for an ordinary gun to do 
certain execution ; but if at early hours, or late in the 
evening, twenty-five or thirty yards above the river 
course would not be above their elevation. Can it be 
wondered at, then, with all these magnificent birds 
hourly passing within range, that although I desisted 
from shooting, I took my stand, which was frequently 
directly under their course, to watch their pro- 
gress ? 

To one skilled in fiddle-strings and wind instruments 
the call of howh ! howh ! may not be attractive ; but 
fortunately we are not all formed in the same mould, 
or possess the same partialities. 

How lucky that it should be so, for if not, 
every one would be falling in love with the same 
baby face, which would be certain to lead to a vast 
amount of bloodshed; for nought angers a man so 
much as finding he has a rival in his love affairs, 
unless it be witnessing a stranger or objectionable 
person abusing his dog. 

I have not said anything regarding the swans, who 
also are included among the migrators who go north 
at this season of the year. During light many of 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 115 

these large handsome birds were constantly to be 
seen cleaving their way through the raw atmosphere 
to their summer haunts. At night their voices ap- 
peared incessantly calling, no small proof that their 
habits are partially nocturnal. 

Above the shanty, on an old limbless hemlock, a 
pair of bald-eagles had found a suitable perch. Their 
position was well chosen, for several hundred yards 
above and below their perch, they could see what- 
ever approached them that followed the river's course. 
As soon as they had adopted this roosting place I 
should have either dispossessed them, or killed one or 
both ; but I had read Audubon's description of the 
pursuit of a swan by an eagle, and wished to witness 
such a scene. 

In the morning I had been round with Antoine 
lifting traps ; the tramp had been a severe one, and, 
by-the-bye, I was very nearly being rendered unable 
to narrate further exploits, for his gun went off while 
straddling over a log, but fortunately did no more 
damage than carrying away the right pocket of my 
shooting- coat. It is not agreeable to be shot at when 
receiving pay from Her Majesty for submitting to 
such a process, even when you know that a pension 
awaits you for life, if called upon in future years to 
stamp about with a cork-leg, or from the loss of an 

12 



116 LONE LIFE: 

arm be unable to dress without assistance ; but I most 
decidedly object to a charge of No. 6 in the small of 
the back, or, in fact, in any other part of my person, 
although administered by a friend. So I postponed 
the remainder of my tramp for an indefinite future 
time, and found my way homewards. After a few 
mouthfuls of lunch I lit my pipe, and sauntered to 
my favourite perch on the rock ; for down the channel 
of the river, a cool current of air ever passed, and 
the situation seldom was without attractions to the 
observant lover of natural history. 

In the distance I heard the familiar call of swans ; 
gazing intently south I with difficulty managed to 
make out their snow-white column. Gradually as my 
sight had attained the proper focus, and the phalanx 
advanced towards me, each individual that composed 
the force became distinguishable. 

On the hemlock were perched the two bald-headed 
eagles; no further perceptible movement being ap- 
parent in them than that their height obviously had 
increased, and their width diminished. From pre- 
vious observation I had noticed this before ; it doubt- 
less was a bracing of the system together, previous 
to engaging in an undertaking more than usually 
hazardous. 

When I noticed this alteration in the figure of the 
birds of prey, I became convinced that I was about 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 117 

to see what I had so long and earnestly craved to 
behold. It was a sight to witness, a drama about to 
be played, that the stay-at-home naturalist, the 
accepted authority upon all subjects in connexion 
with the animal creation never sees, but still gets 
credit for witnessing — and why so? because he is 
read deeply in the wanderer's experiences, and in- 
dites with flowing pen and with subtle language from 
them — and on this borrowed knowledge writes an 
article that goes forth to the world to be applauded, 
quoted, and ultimately the scribbler is credited with 
the reputation of being a great observer of the animal 
creation. 

I wish I had command of the most eloquent lan- 
guage, for here is a chance to bring it with purpose 
into play ; but, unfortunately, I have been reared in 
camp and barrack, where the most familiar sound to 
my ear was the hoarse bray of the trumpet, or the 
clarion notes of the bugle. Nor am I come of a 
literary race, for my progenitors for many, many 
generations, have had no other ambition than to 
lead companies, or head regiments. 

The Indian is a great hunter, because through a 
long line of ancestors the love of venerie is here- 
ditary ; the game of the present day are wilder than 
when bolts and cross-bows were used in their pursuit, 
for the ancestors of them have learned that it is no 



118 LONE LIFE: 

longer safe to come within the same distances of 
man. 

So it is with scribblers; nine instances out of ten their 
forefathers] have lived by their pen, or made a repu- 
tation by it. In youth,- from the buoyance of that 
period they may have neglected it, but ultimately 
they bow their necks to the yoke, or permit the har- 
ness to be put upon them, like the beast of labour 
that had, no matter how long ago, been broken in. 
At first their brain may be rusty, and the pen refuse 
to indite their thoughts, but only limited perseverance 
is necessary to bring them into the channel that those 
from whence they are sprung have pursued. Why 
this bitter, long rhodomontade ? Because critics will 
cut up a work that has emanated from practical 
experience, when all they know upon the subject 
is what they have read. 

But to revert to the swans ; no sooner were they 
within a hundred yards of the bald eagles, than 
both birds of prey, with a velocity that was astonish- 
ing, dashed upwards into the heavens till nearly 
lost to sight, and the noisy host of white-plumed birds 
broke up their formation and scattered in all direc- 
tions, for well did they appear to know the hostility 
of this demonstration. On outstretched wing, with 
rapid stroke, a swan so large and strong that age must 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 119 

be credited to him, dashed down the river course. 
When nearly opposite to me a tearing, rending, rush- 
ing sound reverberated from the air above ; it was the 
eagles descending upon their destined victim. But 
the battle is not ever to the strong, and the persecuted 
bird avoided the impetuous swoop — but : how? — by- 
dashing down into the pellucid w^ater and diving be- 
neath its surface. 

Disappointed the birds of prey hovered aloft; in a 
few moments again they swooped downwards, but 
their destined prey knew the safety of his position, 
and dived before the assailants could strike him. 
Again and again this ruse was practised, and the 
baffled persecutors returned to their roosting-place. 

It was a glorious example of how the strong can be 
worsted by the weak, the tyrant by the powerless, 
and if I could have done as I pleased I would have 
taken that swan home, given him the best my limited 
larder afforded, a secure night's rest, and turned him 
loose in the morning to seek his companions, and 
afterwards taken my gun and have had a shot at his 
persecutors. 

For a long time I puzzled my brain why an old 
bird, full of experience, should have selected the 
hazardous route — for those that new landways were 
unmolested. I am willing to accredit reasoning 



120 LONE LIFE: 

powers to the rest of the animal creation, besides 
allowing man alone to monopolise them; and for 
this reason, previous long experience had taught 
him how to cope with such a foe, and where to regain 
his relatives whom he had been forced so summarily 
to desert. 

No schoolboy has not read of Quintus Curtius, and 
in his innermost soul lauded his valour ; but here 
was an insignificant bird running the fire of two 
implacable foes, to draw them away from those less 
capable of escaping their attacks. 

That night most unexpectedly Antoine informed 
me that he purposed starting north on a trading 
expedition among the Indians on the upper waters 
of the Ottawa. 

This took me quite by surprise, for I had no idea 
that he intended leaving me before I returned to 
civilisation. 

On this point I expressed my opinion strongly, 
still he argued with me, that as his absence would 
not last over a few weeks, and that he should make 
out of his trip a lot of money, I finally consented to 
his going. 

But I had not got rid of him yet, for just as we 
were turning into our respective bunks, after having 
a very strong tumbler of whisky-punch each, he told 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 121 

me that his entire venture would be ruined if I 
would not let him have some of my stores. 

At first I hummed and hawed to this request, but 
ultimately acceded to it; so I handed him over a 
spare gun, several pounds of powder, a couple of 
bags of shot, as well as a host of gew-gaws of 
Birmingham manufacture. When I awoke next 
morning he had gone; how he had taken his load 
away I could not conceive. 

A favourite animal of mine is the fat, well-to-do, 
comfortable-looking musk-rat, generally called by 
the Indians musquash. About them exists none of 
the disagreeable associations we always possess to- 
wards the common brown or Norway rat ; and 
although a rodent, the North American animal would 
have been much more agreeably christened, and made 
far more popular, if the Indian synonym had been 
preserved. 

On a large-sized tributary of the river, about a 
mile distant from our residence, I often have taken 
my seat to watch the busy industrious creatures 
sporting about in their favourite element. Their 
apparent confidence in the goodwill of the intruder, 
the mingled air of curiosity and inquiry with which 
they regard you, the beauty of their large intelligent 
dark eye, soon cause them to be regarded as friends 



122 LONE LIFE : 

in whose habits you centre a large amount of in- 
terest. The similarity of the musquash to the beaver 
is so very striking that the inexperienced are often 
induced to mistake them for the young of the latter 
animal, for the only external perceptible difference 
is that the beaver's tail is flat horizontally, the 
musk-rat's vertically, and I should imagine in con- 
sequence far better suited both to steer and assist in 
propelling its -possessor forward, when submerged 
beneath the surface of the water. Although during 
the whole winter, when I have visited this retired 
stream, around the air-holes in the ice, numbers of 
these pets of mine were to be seen, or evidences of 
their vicinity from the quantity of shells of the fresh- 
water mussel they had left on the margin of the 
open water, still their numbers never appeared so 
great as on this spring evening. Look in whatever 
direction I chose, the water was being cleft by these 
indefatigable children of the lakes and rivers of this 
forest land, all apparently intent on the important 
business of building a new home to replace that of 
last season, which had been washed away by the 
freshets that had occurred at the breaking-up of 
the ice. Their power in the water is really surpris- 
ing, for frequently they will be observed pushing or 
dragging towards the site chosen for their new mansion 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 123 

branches of trees, and bunches of reeds so large as 
almost to hide from view the persevering little crea- 
tures that direct the course of the floating debris. 
Moreover, the very greatest affection and understand- 
ing apparently exists between the male and female, 
for if the wind or current be too strong for one to 
transport the load to the destination it is intended for, 
a long low and plaintive whistle will immediately call 
the mate to assist in the navigation of the prize. 
How it is anchored when it reaches the place in- 
tended, I never could tell, but it is secured. At the 
same time it must be remembered that £their houses 
are never built in the current, but in bays or inlets, 
where, however, there would be sufficient wind to 
remove them if such a precaution were not taken. 
When a branch of a size larger than the musk-rats 
choose to make use of is brought by either to the 
spot chosen for their future home, the small limbs 
are dexterously lopped off, and the main artery 
alowed to float away. Rushes, however, form the 
principal portion of which this water residence is 
composed, the fine limbs of trees being only utilised 
for uprights between which to weave in the softer 
material, or here and there introduced around the 
sides to impart strength, which it would not other- 
wise possess. 



124 LONE LIFE: 

Although the male and female are very gentle and 
very loving to each other, they are excessively jealous 
of their rights, and attack an intruder of their species 
with such fury and vindictiveness as to cause the 
water fairly to boil around the scene of battle. This 
evening I was rewarded with a view of such a 
rencontre. 

Just opposite to my position, but across the stream 
within thirty or more yards from where I sat, a pair 
of musquash were exceedingly busy, every few mo- 
ments one or other departed to return with some- 
thing necessary for the construction of their house. 
At length the larger one appeared to be longer 
absent than usual, and anxiety to have taken pos- 
session of the partner left behind, for he or she, I 
think it was the lady, would every few moments 
cease from work, sit up on hind legs and gaze 
anxiously about. Presently above me appeared a 
limb of a tree, nearly six feet long, and about the 
thickness of my finger at the larger portion of the 
main stem ; slowly it came floating down the tranquil 
current, gradually edging off towards the opposite 
shore. A little closer inspection enabled me to detect 
the builder of the domicile across the water, who 
evidently had no easy task in hand, and was not 
sparing his strength to accomplish it. While ad- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 125 

miring the pluck and perseverance of the little la- 
bourer, a head of another musk-rat popped up above 
the surface of the water in his immediate vicinity ; 
the new comer evidently having designs on the pro- 
perty of my acquaintance. Whether or not, his 
arrival was evidently far from agreeable, if I may 
judge from the manner of his reception. The stranger 
was much larger than the other, and I should deem 
from his darker coat, older, and of course more ex- 
perienced. Evidently conscious of superior strength, 
he avoided parley and proceeded at once to exercise a 
high hand, by making a dash at the possessor of 
the branch. This assault, however, was dexterously 
avoided, the smaller musk-rat instantly diving out 
of sight, the larger taking possession instantly 
of the coveted prize and using every exertion to 
direct it towards the side on which I was sitting. I 
thought how broken-hearted my poor little friend 
would be to lose his lawful property, and with what 
a long and disappointed face he would confide his 
woes to the partner of his bosom, when he reappeared 
again and took hold of the end of the limb, evidently 
using all his power to counteract the exertions of his 
antagonist. 

The struggle lasted but a few moments ; the larger 
animal let go his hold and made for the other, the 



126 LONE LIFE: 

latter refusing the contest, again diving to reappear 
on the surface at the other end of the branch a mo- 
ment or two after its possessor had regained his old 
position. Again there was a pulling match, suc- 
ceeded by the original owner being driven off. How- 
ever he was not vanquished, only plotting how he 
could reobtain possession of the coveted prize. By 
this time the misappropriator, with his spoil, had got 
within twenty yards of where the residence of his 
victim was being built, the despoiled close to him 
with a watchful eye on his late treasure, his wife 
busily engaged in her architectural pursuits. I heard 
a low long whistle, the female raised her head, lis- 
tened, looked towards the bough and noiselessly glided 
into the water ; in a moment or two afterwards she 
was beside her partner ; then ensued a short confab, 
and both dived, reappearing immediately on the 
surface on either side of the thief. Without an 
instant's hesitation the interloper was attacked ; for 
several minutes a terrific battle ensued, if just esti- 
mate could be formed from the amount of struggling 
and splashing that took place, and that my friends 
were victorious was apparent, for I had the satis- 
faction of seeing them safely moor the contested 
branch among the other materials that were collected 
to weave into their future domicile. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 127 

But night was closing in, the large Canadian owl 
was hooting from his solitary resting-place among 
the boughs of some sombre hemlock, a sure sign that 
darkness would soon drape the landscape, so I retired 
from the lone woodland stream and left it to its 
nocturnal visitors. 



128 LONE LIFE: 



CHAPTER IX. 

A walk through Canadian forest land during nearly 
all portions of the year, especially towards sunset, is 
oppressive and saddening from the sombreness of the 
foliage and the intense stillness that reigns around; 
however, at this season it is quite a contrast to the 
rule, for every direction now has found a voice. The 
stranger who cares not for the study of nature, and 
consequently knows little about it, would listen with 
ears of astonishment to the number and variety of 
notes that issue from every nook and cranny, par- 
ticularly if his acquaintance with uncleared land had 
been confined to winter and autumn. 

When the cold biting winter has passed and the 
snows fled, and the genial rays of the spring sun 
warm the surface of the earth, innumerable 
varieties of animal life which have hitherto been 
torpid are restored to animation, and from them 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 129 

proceed the greater portion of the curious, but none 
the less melodious notes that break the stillness of 
the surrounding shadow land. 

Yes, it is to the reptilia that all this harmony of 
sound is due, rejoicing doubtless that a new life to 
them is born, and that a period of captivity and in- 
activity is passed. The birds warble forth their 
dulcet notes in spring, the children of man at that 
season seem more joyous in their out-door sports, and 
give vent more frequently to their pleasure with up- 
raised merry laugh ; as with the winged beauties, as 
with the youth of our own race, so it is with the 
lower orders of the animal creation. 

But to revert to the choristers of the primeval 
forest of the lone western lands, chief among them, 
when water is in the vicinity, is the common American 
toad. Although far from attractive in appearance, 
he is not nearly so ugly as his English relative. 
Listen to his strange solemn voice ; it is not harsh or 
disagreeable, so far in fact from such in its thrilling 
cadence, that it cannot be imagined to proceed from 
so unattractive a shape, or so expressionless a visage. 
Inactive and sluggish both by formation and incli- 
nation, scarcely changing position for hours, again 
and again he utters his vibratory notes throughout 
the livelong night. Next among the musicians is 

VOL. I. K 



130 LONE LIFE; 

the little tree-frog, a tiny active fellow, not three- 
quarters of an inch long, whose whistle is as joyous as 
that of the common house cricket, only much more 
voluminous. He utters his quick chirp, never tiring, 
never ceasing, while the sun's rays are not pouring 
down upon his perch. 

Another of this band of choristers is the green- 
headed frog, the basso profundo of the woodland 
stream ; his deep-toned voice may be heard for half a 
mile of a still evening. As frogs go, he is a pretty crea- 
ture, with yellow throat, and black-green barred back ; 
a very bully is he too among the smaller reptilia, who 
hush in grave respect when he chooses to give utter- 
ance. But his life, with all his pomposity of manner,, 
is not without its dangers, for the water adder and the 
black snake love to make him their prey, and when 
the hour of hot pursuit by his bloodthirsty foe comes ? 
how rapidly does he change his pompous notes for 
the timorous squeak of the most insignificant of 
his genus. A close observer of nature can trace 
a likeness in every animal, however humble it may 
be in the scale, to some representative of the human 
family ; thus I have often thought this frog to re- 
semble a purse-proud, upstart citizen, probably a 
guardian of the poor, blatant, bullying, and pompous, 
while he possesses wealth ; sycophantic, grovelling, 
and pluckless in the days of adversity. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 131 

The snow-water by this time having been washed 
out of all the neighbouring streams, it is time to 
commence preparations for the capture of the ver- 
milion-speckled, copper-burnished flanked trout, for 
until that takes place the most skilful angler may 
throw his fly ever so lightly, hide his shadow ever 
so skilfully, or fish with the longest line that strong 
wrist and pliant rod can carry from him, but all his 
efforts will go unrewarded. It is a strange, but never- 
theless a 'true fact, that although the trout of these 
distant waters will take the bait with avidity when 
ice covers both their river and lake haunts, they 
perfectly disregard any allurement during the season 
that their homes are swollen into flood by the influx 
of melted snow. All I have questioned for infor- 
mation as to the reason of this, have responded una- 
nimouslv, " Don't know !" Thought, and the know- 
ledge that there is a cause for every result, induce 
me to think, that snow-water being more penetrating 
than that of rain, becomes impregnated more strongly 
by the decayed vegetation, causing the fish in conse- 
quence to become listless, sick, and disinclined to 
feed. 

I have frequently taken a cupful of snow-water 
from indentations and ridges on the hillside where I 
knew it was unalloyed with any other, and it has 
e2 



'132 LONE LIFE : 

.always possessed a very dark colour as well as a 
'Stringent taste. In fact, the former appearance is so 
•apparent, that I believe I can always detect its 
presence in a stream from the dull neutral tint it 
imparts to all waters it mixes w^ith. Such being the 
s ease, will not the most sceptical acknowledge that I 
have good grounds for coming to the previous con- 
clus ion 1 

The water of Northern American rivers is won- 
derfully clear, with a bright greenish shade, un- 
less at such times as they are swollen by floods, 
when if their course has flowed through heavily- 
limbered lands, they become as thick and muddy as 
it is possible to imagine ; those that flow over barrens, 
on the other hand, although increased in volume by 
rainfall, suffer almost imperceptibly in colouration. 

My debut was not a success. I tried several of the 
best streams and reaches without doing more than 
.raising a few insignificant fish. In England I might 
have changed my flies, attributing to their non- 
-attractiveness my failure; but here it was not ne- 
cessary, for when trout are on the feed they are never 
fastidious. 

However, my time was not thrown away, for on 
my walk home I had opportunities of observing some 
• -of the most interesting sights that the eye of the lover 
<of nature can rest upon. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 132 ;i 

To shorten my journey, instead of following the- 
erratic course of the river I struck across a marsh,, 
the edge of which margined a large shallow pool. I 
was about leaving its brilliant green spongy surface 
when a wild-duck, the female of our common mal- 
lard, flushed at my feet. After flying a few yards 
she dropped into the weeds, apparently incapable of 
proceeding further. Skye, my little favourite, was 
with me ; in an instant he started in pursuit. To recall 
him I deemed unnecessary, for well I knew the bird 
could take care of herself, and that she was only 
perpetrating a ruse to draw the intruder from the 
vicinity of her nest. In a few moments after, the 
duck again was on the wing, a second time to fall as 
if overpowered with the exertion. This appeared to 
give confidence to my companion, for giving tongue 
in his delioht at the hope of making an immediate 
capture, he rushed on after his would-be prey. A 
third time the trick was repeated, the duck on this 
occasion flying further, and ultimately dropping into 
the river ; but previous victimising did not appear one 
iota to have damped Skye's hopes of success. In the 
mean time I had been carefully examining the 
vicinity, for a nest I knew was not far distant. In a 
clump of last year's withered sedge I discovered 
eight eggs, which, judging from their opaque and. 
dead-looking colour, I deemed were more than half 



134 LONE LIFE: 

hatched. If I had examined them minutely I pos- 
sibly could have told more closely how long they had 
been sat upon ; but I preferred to leave my curiosity 
unsatisfied, as by gratifying it I should have been 
obliged to handle the eggs, which might and fre- 
quently does cause a duck to forsake her nest. 
Soon after I had resumed my tramp my dog joined 
me; his expression was sheepislmess personified, 
and the more I chaffed him, in such words as, 
"Poor fellow! then he did not catch the duck," 
the more ashamed of himself he apparently be- 
came. 

I have often thought that this canine friend could 
understand all I said. There is not a doubt that 
he did some sentences ; for instance, in the morn- 
ing, if I was preparing to go out, and did not wish 
his society, T had but to say, Ci No little dogs with 
me to-day ;" and although he had been using every 
effort to attract my attention, and evincing the live- 
liest interest in my preparations, he would at once 
sneak into a corner and regard me askance with the 
most heart-broken expression. Again, if of an evening 
after dark the shanty N door were opened, Skye's greatest 
anxiety appeared to be to get out first. To teaze him 
I would retain the door sufficiently ajar to prevent 
his egress ; impatiently but quietly he would wait 



A TEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 135 

ready for a rush when such became practicable. How- 
ever, if I said to him, u No night for little dogs to be 
out, big wolves outside ready to eat him up," his 
hair would rise on his back, the sides of his lips curl 
so as to expose his teeth, uttering at the same time 
the angriest and most defiant growls. 

Reverting to my tramp homewards. The woods are 
now fairly filled with migratory birds that have spent 
the winter in the more hospitable climate of Mexico 
or the Southern States. Few of them are such song- 
sters as are to be found in Great Britain, if we except 
the hermit thrush and American robin, both of whom 
possess very sweet voices ; but they do not appear so 
fond of exercising their vocal powers as the warblers of 
our home woods and hedge-rows. The woodpeckers, 
at this season, are also most noisy, and gifted with 
even a more than ordinary amount of energy. Their 
day seems to be taken up with incessant squabbling 
or magging, for each appears to have a voice in his 
neighbour's business, if not to interfere further. I 
watched a pair which had taken possession of a hole 
in a large limb of a dead tree, evidently with the 
intention of commencing housekeeping therein. In 
half an hour a dozen visitors at least must have come 
to see them ; and the angry high words that imme- 
diately after the arrival of each stranger took place, 



136 LONE LIFE: 

was a disgrace to society, whether among birds or 
human beings. I do not think that the callers were 
gallants come to make love to the bride, for then she 
would be probably timid, bashful, and silent ; but it 
was quite the reverse, for the lady's voice was as 
highly pitched as her lord's, and her manner equally 
rude and objectionable. 

Within a quarter of a mile of the clearing which 
we have formed by supplying the shanty fire with 
fuel, a few yards from what has now become quite a 
path, I heard a hare scream from some long bottom 
grass. Skye in a moment was all eyes and ears, 
ready for a rush ; but by a single word I checked 
him, for he is now under most perfect control. After 
a few moments the scream was repeated more to our 
front, and soon afterwards a hare staggered across the 
track. A word of encouragement and Skye was off, 
for I thought poor pussy with the long ears had been 
seized by a weasel. Soon I was convinced that I was 
in error as to my supposition ; for again and again I 
heard the dog struggling with something of no ordi- 
nary size or strength, so I hurried to his assistance. 
To my gratification I found his antagonist to be a 
very large mink, whom his repeated shaking had by 
this time reduced to obedience. Why my little 
attendant had attacked so powerful a foe instead of 



A YEAR IN THE WILDEBNESS. 137 

the hare was to me a mystery ; but as I said before, 
he was imbued with more than ordinary sense, and, 
as he looked up in my face with his loving hazel eyes, 
he accepted my praise with the dignity of one know- 
ing himself worthy of approbation. This mink would 
have been quite a prize late in autumn, for then they 
possess a beautiful dark close fur ; but at this season 
its pelt was useless, the old coat having come off in 
patches, the new one only beginning to grow. 

Snipe, which had commenced arriving immediately 
after the thaw set in, were now assembled in immense 
numbers on all the low-lying wet lands that mar- 
gined the rivers and lakes, and in the bogs on the 
hillsides. They are so remarkably tame that they 
never attempted to flush till almost stepped upon, 
and even then their flight did not exceed thirty 
or forty yards. If ammunition in out of the way 
places like this did not require economising, I could 
have made such bags as would have provoked the 
disbelief of my countrymen. How is it that they 
will seldom believe in any performance that occurs 
abroad surpassing their own home deeds ? 

When I was a lad, in a short winter day, I killed 
twenty-two brace of woodcocks. A few years since 
I happened to mention the subject in a London club. 
A gentleman whom I had met previously, and who 



138 LONE LIFE: 

had shot a good deal in the South of England, 
without expressing himself so, appeared sceptical, and 
remarked : 

" That must have been in some of your foreign 
shooting trips." 

I answered, " In Ireland." 

" I knew it," said he, continuing ; u you fellows 
who go abroad do most extraordinary things. Why, 
I never killed a quarter of that number in the best 
preserved covers in England, and how could you make 
such a bag where there are no game laws ?" 

Of course, after an argument so clinching, coming 
from a person who called the Emerald Island abroad, 
and asserted it did not possess game laws, I said 
nothing; but there was a titter on every listener's 
face, and the laugh might have been — I say might — 
have been against me. 

As none of the snipe here show any indication of 
pairing, I am inclined to believe that their great 
breeding-ground is further to the north; still of a 
calm still evening, after the sun has gone down, you 
can hear them giving utterance to that peculiar 
bleating call, that at home is generally accepted as 
an indication that they have mated. Thus snipe, 
like many other birds who are almost silent nearly all 
the year round, find that their voice possesses a new 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 139 

or long unused note in spring, which they discon- 
tinue when tired of, as children would a toy that they 
had perfectly revelled over when first they became 
its owner. Possibly it may be that the birds that 
bleat want a mate, so cease to do so when paired. 

Killing a dozen snipe in almost as many minutes, 
I finished off shooting by putting both barrels into a 
flock of blue-winged teal. I had seen these hand- 
some birds several times when in the marsh ; but 
although apparently not afraid of me, they still con- 
trived to direct their flight far beyond my reach. 
This could scarce have been wariness, for I was out 
in open exposed ground when they came within 
range, my reward being eight mature well-fed birds 
killed dead, and three cripples, only one of which 
I recovered. 



140 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTER X. 

The canoe, which has been useless since winter 
set in, will, now that the ice has gone, be in daily 
requisition. Best, however, seems not to have im- 
proved it, for when floated it leaked like a seive, 
so there is at least a day's work upon it before its 
services can be made available. Thus young Red-skin 
with the unpronounceable name, but generally called 
by me " Sugar-tooth," or more frequently still, 
" Sugar," was despatched to the woods to gather gum 
to cover such places as let in the water. The Indians, 
all of them, even the squaws, are wondrously skilful 
in building birch-bark canoes, and in repairing them. 
I have never met a white man who can approach them 
in constructing these buoyant little crafts, and the 
mechanical tools they employ are of the simplest 
description, generally only an axe and knife, some- 
times in addition a spokeshave — still they are so 
beautifully finished that any one would suppose 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 141 

they had been fabricated by the most skilled work- 
man, with every implement at command that a car- 
penter could think of. 

Not being able to get on without Sugar, I lounged 
into the shanty to enjoy a quiet smoke and undis- 
turbed thought. I might have been half an hour in 
fairyland, possibly more, when the sharp bark of 
Skye and the suppressed growl of Poteen recalled 
my scattered wits, for I knew some one was ap- 
proaching. On going to the door I saw Master 
Keel-skin bounding along with his load on his back, 
and a grin on his face that denoted that he had 
made some important discovery. 

" Oh, Cap," he commenced as soon as within speak- 
ing distance, " I seed sich a mooin" (Indian for bear). 
" Get your gun, Cap, I show him you most in a minute. 
Come, Capen, do" (he always addressed me so when 
he wanted a favour done). 

I took down my gun, and while extracting the old 
charges young Sugar informed me that while strip- 
ing some tamarack roots for sewing up the rents in 
the canoe he heard a log roll over. Quietly he picked 
up the result of his labour, and went to investi- 
gate the cause, doubtless at the same time suspect- 
ing it. A white man probably could not have ap- 
proached the bear without giving alarm ; but an 



142 LONE LIFE : 

Indian can do anything that is necessary to make a 
successful stalk, aye, crawl up to game as stealthily 
and silently as a snake upon its prey. 

" Well, what did you see ?" 

" Sich a big mooin, a long-legged mooin, and 
he no see me, so I come to fetch you." 

Calling Poteen, and ordering Skye home, I fol- 
lowed my little guide for nearly a mile ; the wind 
was in our favour so no detour was necessary. 
After a cautious stalk of a hundred yards we reached 
where the boy had been gathering the tama- 
rack roots, which he pointed out with pantomimic 
actions, then indicated the position of the log. Lead- 
ing the way on hands and knees, I soon spied it, 
but no bear. Examining the ground, I found it 
had lately been scratched on the surface, where 
the dead piece of timber had laid, also the bark was 
pulled off the decayed wood in several places to 
enable master Bruin to catch with his prehensile lips 
the wood-lice and other insects that had obtained a 
sanctuary underneath. I never doubted that the lad 
had spoken the truth, but even if I had, the signs I 
saw before me were most conclusive evidence of his 
statement. The only thing I feared was that the 
young Indian in retiring to give me notice was too 
hurried, and thus had broken a dead limb and so 
had given warning of his presence to the game. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 143 

The dog expressed such eagerness to be let go, 
evidently scenting the game, that at last I permitted 
him, for I had no fear for his safety, he being none 
of your headstrong, reckless animals, but one that 
knew most thoroughly how to take care of himself. 
Still I thought he would have pluck to snap the 
bear's heels, and thus drive him up a tree — a per- 
formance any Indian cur will do with perfect im- 
punity ; in fact, I am certain little Skye would, but I 
feared his valour getting the better of his discretion, 
particularly if I should come in the vicinity of the 
quarry before it treed. 

Waiting for some sound to guide our future move- 
ments, soon Poteen's voice rung clear and sharp 
through the woods ; again and again it echoed over 
the forest with a vindictiveness I was far from pre- 
pared for. Sugar and I sprung over the fallen 
timber, rushed through the close-knitted cedars., 
struggled through underbrush and briers, still the 
further we went the more distant became the dog's 
voice. At length young Red-skin proposed our direct- 
ing our steps for the river, which was not distant over a 
quarter of a mile, as the chase appeared to be making 
in that direction, although further up stream. Acting 
on the impulse of the moment, although then 
tolerably out of wind, we briskly struggled through 
the brush till Ave reached its margin. The stream 



144 LONE LIFE : 

having fallen considerably below high-water line, 
without serious impediment we followed up its 
course, Poteen still giving vent to his feelings with 
the most angry barks. 

At length there was a partial silence, then a few 
angry half-smothered notes, when just as I cleared 
by wading an immense granite boulder that barred 
my path, I saw the bear leaving the water on the 
reverse side, about a hundred and fifty yards above me, 
with the dog close in his rear. In a moment I pitched 
my gun to the shoulder ; with a smooth bore it was 
but a very slim chance, still I pulled the trigger, 
giving quite six inches of elevation. At the first report 
Bruin threw his head up and shook it several 
times, the ball from the left barrel, although the line 
of fire was apparently correct, I should think, from 
it striking the water first, ricocheted over his back. 
At the first shot I was not impressed with the belief 
that I had hit my mark, still I believe I went so 
close as to render it rather unpleasant. 

As soon as both hound and game were out of the 
water, the dog's voice rang forth as determinedly as 
ever, and I commenced to believe that Poteen was a 
very ill-used animal by my doubting his pluck, and 
that he would have the noble revenge of throwing 
my words in his maligner's teeth by ultimately tree- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 145 

ino; the bear. So down stream we ran to where 
there was a ford, if a place could be called so that 
was up to jour knee one step, to jour shoulders the 
next, and if you deviated to the right or left one 
yard, over the head with something to spare. Placing 
my ammunition in mj cap, and pulling it well over 
my head, I made the first plunge, not stopping to 
hesitate, for to hesitate in such an undertaking, is 
ultimately to funk it altogether. I prospered till I 
was congratulating myself that I had got wonder- 
fully well over the first portion, for so far I had only 
been half-thigh deep, when plump I went off a rock 
up to my ribs, and commenced to feel the current lift- 
ing me, when fortunately I felt with my foot a boulder 
whose surface I gained, and from there the shore, 
without further accident, a pole which I picked 
up on the beach being the means under providence 
vouchsafed to save me from a swim. But Sugar,. 
poor child, had no such luck (he was only thirteen 
years of age) ; refusing to be left behind, he was set 
swimming early in the proceedings, and landed half- 
drowned on the side with myself, but quite one hun- 
dred yards lower down stream. 

For some minutes we had not heard Poteen ; I 
noticed this while crossing the ford, but I accounted 
for it by his voice being drowned by the sound of the 

VOL. i. L 



146 LONE LIFE: 

rushing water. This made me impatient, for I wanted 
to be moving after my bath, and no doubt I ex- 
pressed it, for young Bed-skin looked up in my face 
and said : 

" No hurry, Cap"; him," meaning Poteen, " a good 
pup." 

I discovered afterwards that they were bedfellows, 
and Master Sugar did not wish his chum's character 
aspersed. Well, we listened and waited, waited and 
listened half an hour ; as cold an half-hour as I wish 
my greatest enemy to pass, and were about retracing 
our steps across the river, when in the distance, aye 
quite a mile away, the voice of my dog was distin- 
guishable. Again there was a rush for it ; but the 
first quarter of a mile was most execrable travelling, 
log lay over and was interlaced with log, while 
hemlock and cedar, with a fair proportion of long 
straggling thorns, combined to prevent aught in the 
shape of animal, let alone six feet of humanity, getting 
through it. To those who know a cedar swamp, I 
have said enough ; to those who do not, my advice is, 
go and try a helter-skelter race through it — if you 
want a new sensation. 

Thank goodness, at length we reached higher 
ground, and yard after yard our progression became 
easier, till we reached the barren where all was 
tolerably plain sailing in comparison to what we had 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 147 

gone through. A momentary halt was now called to 
recover wind and direction, as for some time back we 
had not heard Poteen's voice ; but we were not long 
destined to be deprived of that favour, for again and 
again, with apparently renewed courage and vigour, 
he proclaimed that his game had not eluded him ; but 
our exertions were not finished, another cedar swamp 
as bad as the first, but not so wide, had to be crossed ; 
gallantly we did it, although leaving behind extra- 
vagantly large selvages as samples of the material my 
tailor had provided me with. Happy tailor to have a 
customer so interested in his success as to advertise 
his wares by leaving samples of them in such distant 
parts of the earth. 

But at last Poteen, his mouth covered with blood 
and earth, joins us, for he came a few yards to 
meet us as if to return thanks for our coming to his 
assistance, then with renewed vigour he rushes among 
the neighbouring boulders, growls, scratches, seizes 
intervening and obstructing roots in his teeth, and 
behaves in a general way like a very brave dog. 

With full-cocked gun, and ready for all emer- 
gencies, even to fight to the death, I examine the 
cavity that the dog is so busy upon ; its size forbids 
the possibility of a bear ever having entered it, and 
all our search fails to disclose another. " Mysterious 
l2 



148 LONE LIFE: 

certainly/' thought I, while a sad and disappointed 
smile flitted over young Red-skin's face. Quietly he 
seized Poteen by the tail, and gave him a hoist out of 
the hole he was excavating (which his bedfellow did 
not choose to resent), then squatted and almost crawled 
out of sight headforemost, returning immediately 
afterwards to daylight with a porcupine by the hind 
leg. 

I didn't say much, I was afraid to, for fear the 
bear might be near, and that he'd have the satisfaction 
of chuckling over our being sold. Well, Sugar killed 
that porcupine, not in the least out of spite, oh 
no ! and Poteen was left ten minutes before the quills 
were picked out of his lips ; this delay, I am under 
the impression, was not caused by f orgetfulness. But 
if any one should see cruelty in the latter part of 
the preceding narrative, remember the disappoint- 
ment. 

It was our fault and not the dog's that the bear 
was not treed, for if we had stood still when Poteen 
first came up to Bruin, instead of alarming him by 
breaking through the brush so recklessly, he would 
never have thought of rushing away, but have gone 
to tree in the first convenient place. Again, the 
trail of a porcupine is so strong that not one dog in 
fifty can resist the temptation of pursuing them 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 149 

whenever opportunity offers, deserting even the 
warmest scent of other game for the pleasure of a 
worry, although it is certain to result in a snout full 
of spines. 

Dispirited, cold, and wet, we got home, the jauntiest 
of the party being Poteen, who carried his tail over 
his hurclies with a swirl, indicating that he laboured 
under the belief that he had distinguished himself, 
and that he was regarded by his master with eyes of 
unusual favour. 

The Canadian porcupine, although not unlike his 
prototype of the old world, differs in many essential 
points, more especially in regard to the length of the 
spines, which never exceed three inches, and also in the 
size and power of its tail, which strikes right and left 
when its possessor is assailed, with force sufficient to 
cover with spines whatever soft substance it comes in 
collision with, and these being barbed, are exceedingly 
difficult to extract without breaking, when if such 
takes place severe pain and inflammation is certain to 
ensue to the recipient of the objectionable shafts. 

Essentially a cave dweller, still, except in winter, 
they spend much of their time abroad wandering in- 
dolently in search of mast or berries, or climbing 
slowly to the highest limbs of trees that will support 
their weight, to obtain a favourite article of their 



150 LONE LIFE: 

diet — buds, young leaves, or bark of the latest growth. 
An impression seems to prevail that they are in- 
capable of activity ; but such is a mistake, for if so 
minded they can run with sufficient speed to outstrip 
the swiftest man. 

By the Indians they are much prized as an article 
of food, and for their quills, which are used, after 
being stained various bright colours, to ornament the 
different curiosities the Red-man fabricates out of 
birch bark for disposal among the settlements. 

Early in autumn this animal becomes loaded with 
fat, and a little later their rutting season commences* 
In spring the female produces, two being the number 
of her annual family, which must require as much, 
if not more, licking into shape than the young bears,, 
for more ugly, uncouth little wretches, it has never 
been my luck to see. 

Although the Canadian porcupine is a most harm- 
less creature, still the animosity of nearly every animal 
that has sufficient strength is directed against it, the 
bear alone excepted, who invariably gives it a wide 
berth, and will even desert a favourite den whose sanc- 
tuary has been violated by the presence of the prickly 
intruder. To the wild-cat, lynx, and wolf he is a 
favourite prey ; but these marauders have been known 
to lose their lives from the spines they have had 



A TEAE IN THE WILDEKNESS. 151 

stuck in them working their way into their brain or 
other vital parts. It is a strange circumstance that 
although dogs of European extraction suffer so se- 
verely in an attack upon these animals, the little 
Indian cur seldom or ever receives the slightest injury 
in such a rencontre. 

But to revert to the bear. Sugar pronounced it a 
long-legged one ; the reason of this being that the 
Indians recognise two distinct species of black bear. 
the short-legged or hog bear, and the long-legged. 
I am disposed to indorse this opinion, not from the 
difference of size and shape, as from their dissi- 
milarity of character. The long-legged Bruin is a 
marauder, a flesh-eater by choice, sheep, hogs, and 
even young horned cattle being favourite articles of 
his diet; and. although he will generally avoid 
human beings, still if his temper has been ruffled, or 
his larder at low ebb, there is no saying, but just a 
possibility that he may force himself upon your ac- 
quaintance. At this season of the year a reason may 
be that they are prone to forget their good manners, 
for they have only lately returned to society after a 
long and protracted fast. 

The settlers on the outskirts of civilisation know 
this to their cost, if they permit their u calves and 
sheep to wander far from the homestead ; for if mooin. 



152 LONE LIFE: 

comes across them lie will not long hesitate to provide 
himself with an ample meal. 

I am not fond of finikin little jobs, but unless I 
attend and assist in the canoe mending, I know that 
Master Red-skin will but indifferently perform his 
labour ; for although he is willing enough when I 
am present, leave him half an hour to himself, 
and the charm of digging out a wood-chuck, or ex- 
huming a ground squirrel are so attractive, that he ap- 
pears unable to resist the temptation. After all, he 
is but a child, and with less faults than many of our 
civilised ones. Thus I found myself at work on the 
canoe, sewing up rents, putting in ribs, and ultimately 
plastering with gum every portion of the outer skin 
that exhibited a doubtful appearance. Before the 
sun set I had the satisfaction to learn that my labour 
was rewarded ; for after paddling up and down the 
stream for half an hour her interior was as dry as a 
bone. So, please Providence, I shall try the trout 
to-morrow. 

The next day broke gloomy and overcast, with 
rather a thick mist hanging on the surface of the 
water ; this was scarcely promising, but by half-past 
nine the sun burst forth, and a gentle easterly wind 
sprung up, clearing off the fog as if by magic. 

Commencing at the rapid above the shanty, I 



A YEAE IN" THE WILDERNESS. 153 

fished clown to where the canoe lay ready for launch- 
ing, a distance of about a hundred and fifty yards, 
taking seven fine trout, averaging over two pounds 
each. 

"With my light tackle and rod they afforded me 
over an hour's splendid sport ; and I was much in- 
debted to Sugar for the skilful manner in which 
he handled the landing-net. All who are proficients 
with the fly-rod know how much depends upon your 
attendant in this department ; and of all proficients 
I have met with, to this youth I yield the palm. 
Skill in all descriptions of field sports is inherent in 
the Indian ; through successive generations they have 
cultivated it, their progenitors of hundreds of years 
ago believing, as their descendants do now, that 
to be a successful hunter is the acme of human ac- 
complishments. 

When about to step into the canoe the two Indian 
girls from Schuben Lake (for such Antoine said it 
was named) joined us. I thought that they had 
brought word from him, for he started in that direc- 
tion, and had been gone now nearly three weeks, he 
having exhibited a penchant for the younger girl, who, 
although only sixteen, was a woman in size and form. 

u Good day, Capen," chattered both, as they came 
out on the pebbly beach from the woods. " I hopes 



154 LONE LIFE : 

you well, and have plenty good hunt, plenty every- 
thing," continued the duo. 

" Thanks, thanks ! have you seen Antoine ?" I 
responded, addressing myself to the elder. 

At this apparently innocent question, the long 
dark eyes of the girl seemed to dilate with sup- 
pressed emotion. Then drawing herself up to the 
extent of her height, a wonderful improvement to 
her previously indolent-looking figure, and tossing her 
head, with an air worthy of any Indian queen, she in- 
dignantly replied : 

" Antoine, Antoine ! what I care about him. He 
not warrior, he not chief, he not good hunter. Ask 
this squaw for him," pointing to her sister. u White 
man, like Antoine, no better than woman ; he only 
paddle canoe, and cut the tree for Englishman" 
(alluding to his being a lumberman). " What I ! I ! 
child of chief's child no care about such sort ;" and 
with additional indignation, "I bait wolf trap with 
such as him," looking with contempt upon her com- 
panion, whom I now learned, for the first time, was 
only her half-sister, and who appeared to cower under 
her indignant associate's angry glance. 

A more perfect piece of acting I never saw. 
Madame Celeste as Naomi would have been nowhere 
by her side, although this embryo heroine was draped 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 155 

in- the ordinary, unattractive Indian costume of dirty 
blankets. 

It was not difficult to see that this proud damsel 
was offended; for her bust heaved, the large tendons 
of her neck stood out swollen in relief, while her eye 
still retained the light of suppressed angry emotion. 

Making some humbugging, meaningless excuse 
about not desiring to offend her — that she had en- 
tirely misunderstood me — I ordered Sugar to shove 
the canoe on shore and stepped out upon the beach. 
The younger girl willingly shook hands with me, the 
elder turning her side to my advances refused every 
overture I made for the re-establishment of good 
feeling. 

At length the younger squaw produced from un- 
derneath her blanket a basket of swamp cranberries, 
a most acceptable addition to our cuisine, saying at 
the same time, " My present." 

Knowing well that the Indian never gives without 
expecting a return, I asked both to the shanty, where 
I had some trifling Brummagem trinkets laid in stock 
for such occasions. The donor of the gift followed 
me, but the elder stood obstinate and unrelenting, 
not even deigning to turn her eyes in the direction 
which we went. 

After a trifling search — for what man without a 



156 LONE LTFE: 

petticoat to look after his interests ever lias his traps 
in order ? — I turned out from the bottom of my valise 
a couple of rosaries of bright beads, the one having 
a green, the other an opaque blue cross attached. 
These I handed to Antoine's flame, telling her at the 
same time which was for her half-sister ; and with 
these, supplemented by a small canister of coarse 
gunpowder as a present for her father, we took our 
way back to the landing-place. 

On arriving there the petulant beauty had dis- 
appeared, the other girl all smiles and good nature, 
dashing off at a run into the woods after her recusant 
companion. 

Before getting into the canoe, Sugar said, u Look 
there, Capem — there — on that sapling — don't you 
see ?" And at last I discovered what he alluded to ; 
a beautiful pair of moccasins, lined throughout with 
squirrel skin : left, as the boy said, doubtless repeat- 
ing the words of the donor, " for the Capeh, as he 
have no squaw to work for him." 

This rencontre was certainly amusing, to say the 
least of it, and as I moralised while paddling up the 
stream on what the dark-skinned daughter of the 
forest would look like in crinoline, panier, and 
chignon, I came to the conclusion that the costume 
of Lady Godiva was far better suited to her graceful 
form. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 157 

Indian women when old are excessively ugly, 
their figures becoming bent and slouching, doubtless 
the result of the heavy loads they have to carry, for 
the brunt of transportation across portages, packing 
home game, and paddling the canoes falls upon them, 
and these restless people are ever changing their 
quarters. But among the young girls, who do little or 
nothing till mated, one will occasionally see a figure 
the perfection of human form, and with hands and 
feet, which for size and symmetry would outrival 
those of our best bred votary of fashion. 



158 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTEE XI. 

Two hours' fishing, commencing about a mile above 
the shanty, was rewarded with nearly two dozen 
trout, the largest being quite six pounds. My sport 
was excellent, and when a fish rose he meant it, 
gulping the fly down with such vigour, that you 
could actually hear the process. One of my captives, 
a fine deep made fellow that would have turned the 
scales at four pounds, missed the fly in his first break, 
from the circumstance that I was in the act of 
lifting the line from the water preparatory to making 
a fresh cast when he rose. In my second effort, 
however, I hooked him, not in the mouth, but in the 
flank near the vent. Fortune, however, favoured me, 
for the water was comparatively still, the river here 
being expanded to nearly double its usual breadth. Of 
course I lost much time before my attendant got him 
in the net ; but that was not to be grumbled at, for if 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 159 

this little episode had occurred in a rapid, I must 
have smashed some of my tackle. For some time 
after getting fast to this fish, I was under the im- 
pression that he was a leviathan, for all the strain I 
dare put on the rod and line would not raise him an 
inch from the bottom where he kept circling round 
in the most clockwork like manner ; but it is the last 
straw that breaks the camel's back, and the game 
golden-flanked beauty ultimately found that to his 
cost. 

Several times while fishing I obtained a good view 
of a large otter; he doubtless was well aware of my 
vicinity, for he confined his marauding exploits to the 
pool above, where his exertions appeared to be indefa- 
tigable and most successful. This river really swarms 
with these destructive gentry, and the amount of havoc 
they commit amongst the fish must be enormous, for 
frequently I pick up trout of several pounds out 
of which only a couple of mouthfuls appear to have 
been taken, and that invariably from the same place, 
the thick of the back between the extremity of the 
skull and the first spine of the dorsal fin. 

The colour of the trout in this river is remarkably 
beautiful, quite equal to those I have captured in the 
State of Maine ; in form they are shorter and thicker 
in proportion to their length, and I am under the 



160 LONE LIFE: 

impression, stronger and more active in conse- 
quence. 

The various colourings, lights and shadows up this 
river (which here flows by compass from nearly due 
south to north), are most beautiful when the sun gets 
towards the horizon, and the perfect stillness that 
reigns around fairly entitle it to the soubriquet of the 
Lone River. It willjbe many years before the steps of 
civilisation reach here, for the soil is generally too 
stony for the agriculturalist to select, while lands 
without this objection, further to the south, where 
winter of course is less severe, are still waiting for 
occupiers. 

Again, although the hillsides are clothed with an 
abundance of noble timber, the lumberman will long 
give this neighbourhood a wide berth, for without the 
assistance of dams they never could succeed in float- 
ing their logs down to the parent stream, which every 
stick of timber must reach ere it be convertible 
into money. But this immunity to the forest mo- 
narchs will not last for ever, for when the lordly 
pines have been cleared off from more accessible 
places, capital and labour will be brought into play, 
and ugly unsightly barriers will be erected, changing 
the rapid and eddying pool into sullen ponds and the 
summer haunt of the moose into a swamp. 

Then the saw-mill will follow to awake the echoes 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 161 

with its monotonous and incessant Groaning at the, 
constant labour expected from it by its hard task- 
master of an owner ; and the now clear pellucid water 
will bear upon its fair bosom tons of sawdust, poi- 
soning with its resinous qualities every hole and reach 
of the river's course, till not a fish is left where 
thousands had previously existed. 

Go on ! go on ! thou march of civilisation ; de- 
stroy all that is beautiful and pure in nature ; change 
the untrodden and uncontaminated wilds into a 
second Black district if you will, where the sons o£ 
toil are as unattractive as the country they labour 
and sweat in; where human pig-styes are jumbled 
together in such numbers that the air stinks of them ; 
till the day come when the adage of " dog eat dog" 
be verified, from the superabundance of the human 
population upon earth. 

On our course homewards numerous hooded 
mergansers (a very scarce bird in Europe) passed 
us, winging their way westward ; as many were 
alone, nesting has doubtless commenced in earnest. 
A beautiful bird in plumage, they are remarkably 
swift upon the wing, but totally unfit for food, except 
when killed in the flapper state, for the flesh after- 
wards becomes fishy and tough as fiddle-strings. 

Paddling a canoe has this advantage over rowing. 

VOI . I. M 



162 LONE LIFE : 

you sit facing the direction in which you proceed, 
enabling you to see all that transpires in front. Thus 
Master Sugar, who was in the bow, called my atten- 
tion to a rock near which we had to pass; on its 
surface was a large otter, and at his feet a dead 
trout of several pounds weight. This poacher I have 
often seen before, or one of his relatives, for the 
stone on which he rests is not more than three hun- 
dred yards above the shanty, and frequently to enjoy 
an out-door pipe I come thus far. Bending forward 
cautiously, I soon disengage my gun from its cover- 
ing ; but the loutre, as the boy calls it, is too wide 
awake by half, for long before we come within 
shooting distance, he has glided noiselessly under the 
surface of the water. It is utterly useless to fire 
long shots at these animals, for they are gifted with 
extraordinary vitality ; the trap therefore is the only 
way to destroy them, for they are so exceedingly 
wary that it is but by the merest accident you can 
ever come within short range. 

" Sugar, I'll give you half a cup of molasses if you 
catch that fellow," I said. 

" I try very hard ; suppose you lend me trap." 
This I promised to do, and I am not without hope 
that ere long I shall see my copper-coloured com- 
panion dressing the otter's hide, for now the canoe is 



A YEAK IN THE WILDEENESS. 163 

afloat there is little difficulty in reaching this rock 
which appears to be his favourite resting-place. 

Antoine's long absence begins to make me feel 
alarmed for his safety ; not that he is much of a com- 
panion, and far from loquacious, unless when his 
tongue is caused to wag through the stimulating 
effects of a strong glass of whisky, when he becomes 
a new man and will jabber with the volubility of a 
French Canadian, which is surely saying enough, 
of the Yellowstone and Yoesemmite Valley, of the 
Apache and the Blackfoot Indians, of the Santa-Fe 
trail, and the Hudson Bay forts, but never a word 
about his future hopes and aspirations ; no, that sub- 
ject is sealed to him even when, as the Yankees 
say, he is as drunk as a biled owl. That he is ar- 
ranging, if still alive — and he is not a likely man to 
meet an accident — some grand movement on the 
chess-board of his future life, I am perfectly certain. 
Nevertheless, with all his faults I miss his weather- 
beaten face and nervous unsteady eye. 

As fishing will probably occupy my attention for 
some time to come, and as the prospects are that the 
take will be large, after a careful inspection of the 
neighbouring trees I discovered one which with a 
little labour could be converted into an admirable 
smoke-house, for by this process of curing I hope to 
M 2 



164 LONE LIFE: 

be able to save a large proportion of the trout which 
otherwise must certainly become lost. Although I 
can handle an axe fairly for an old countryman, still 
I am not a good chopper — far from it, and it is a 
description of labour that assorts worse than all others 
with my stiff drilled back; thus you may imagine 
I had no love for such work. Shirking my allotted 
job as long as I could, I finally became ashamed of 
myself, and set to impulsively and with a great deal 
more than the requisite vigour, as non-persevering 
people invariably do. First a stage had to be built 
about fourteen feet from the ground, so as to enable 
the tree to be cut off at the requisite height ; it took 
the greater portion of a day to see this part of the la- 
bour satisfactorily performed. Sugar was the first to 
ascend the new structure, and with evident satisfac- 
tion, after tapping the stem around, informed me that 
the shell was thinner up there than at the base. 
Next day the youngster's words were verified, for a 
couple of hours' labour, about equally divided between 
us, laid the monarch of the woods upon mother earth, 
from whence it had probably taken hundreds of 
years to raise his once towering head. As this 
tree was perfectly dead, with fire and axe we soon 
cleared off the debris that surrounded the intended 
smoke-house, for the proximity of a brush-heap 



A YEAE IN THE WTLDEENESS. 165 

wo aid have formed a most acceptable hiding-place 
for any thieving denizen of the forest, who might 
possess covetous intentions towards our stores. 
Then an aperture in the side of the standing stump 
was made, sufficient for a man to enter, and cross 
pieces pegged against the interior for the rods to 
rest upon from which the fish hung. Each day 
we added to our store till the place was full, and 
Master Sugar disgusted, for to him I intrusted the 
interior management of this useful domestic adjunct, 
no very agreeable task, for he invariably returned 
from it as black as any London chimney-sweep. 

Anticipating that some wandering Bruin might be 
attracted to the smoke-house by the pleasant odours 
that arose therefrom, I had both the door and roof 
closed with the heaviest materials that could be 
utilised for the purpose, for I had no desire, after all 
the trouble^ and time I had spent, to provide food with 
or without your leave, for strangers, let alone wild 
beasts. 

Some days after the last-named job was over, 
I was sitting in the shanty enjoying my pipe, for I 
had been fishing in the morning, when Poteen and 
Skye raised such a hullabaloo that I left my sanc- 
tuary to see the cause of the disturbance. Of this I 
was not long kept in ignorance, for on the beach close 



166 LONE LIFE : 

to where the canoe lay stood one of the largest moose 
I had previously ever seen. Almost with stolid indiffe- 
rence he regarded the dogs, only occasionally lifting a 
foot to kick or strike them, when they approached 
closer than he thought their presence desirable. 
Hoping the animal had not seen me I ran for my 
gun, but when I returned he had gone, doubtless 
having winded me, as the current of air though light 
was moving directly in the reverse direction to what 
would have been desirable. If there is anything in 
this world that can go through timber like a large 
bull moose, except an elephant, I am ignorant of its 
existence. 

For several minutes I could hear the huge creature 
breaking through the dead-wood and undergrowth, 
his pace doubtlessly being accelerated by the sharp 
teeth of Poteen, who from the dash of colley blood he 
possesses never lost an opportunity of trying his 
tusks on the hind-legs of a retreating foe. 

I was rather grieved at losing such a chance of re- 
plenishing my supplies, more particularly as what we 
could not use fresh would have been improved by a 
week in the smoke-house. Moreover, the brute's coat 
appeared in fine condition, the greater part of last 
year's hair having fallen being indicated by the dark- 
ness of its present colour. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 167 

The fresh antlers, too, were only half-developed, and 
as I wanted such a set of horns in the moss, to add 
to other trophies, I felt that I had made rather a 
bungle of the whole affair, which might so easily 
have been obviated by following a rule I had a 
thousand times formed mentally, viz., not to stir 
abroad when a clamour was raised by my four-footed 
companions, without taking my double-barrel with 
me. 



M8 LONE LIFE : 



CHAPTER XII. 

Mosquitoes, which made their appearance a few 
days since, are now becoming numerous, with an occa- 
sional black-fly added to their bloodthirsty phalanxes. 
I quite expect these pests to increase till they become 
unbearable, when I intend to shut up house, and start 
for the high grounds that lie a good hundred miles 
to the north, that is if any reliance can be placed on 
wdiat Antoine and the principal hunter at Schuben 
Xake say. 

Two days after having seen the moose, I was again 
aroused about noon by Poteen and Skye striving to 
outvie each other in their vocal powers. Pulling 
down my gun from its perch, I carefully left the 
house to take an observation, but instead of finding 
that game was the object of their wrath, I discovered 
that it was an Indian dog in the society of the dusky 
forest beauties. Onwards they came tripping, all 
radiant with smiles, and apparently in the very best 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 169 

of humours, the elder sister not excepted, till near 
enough to salute me with the well-known term Capen, 
after which both held out their hands, with a certain 
amount of timidity attached to the movement, in- 
dicating that it was a mode of salutation unknown 
to their race until thrown into contact with the pale- 
faced intruders on their lands. 

My visitors' names I never could remember, for in 
each there were about a dozen syllables, so I deter- 
mined to re-christen them. On our way back to the 
shanty I ransacked my memory for suitable appella- 
tions. In my opinion white-swans, deer-foots, wild- 
ducks, blue-birds, and laughing-waters, had been done 
to death, so I settled upon Saucy for the elder and 
Fatty-plumpy for the junior. I explained to them 
in the best manner I could, much to the merriment of 
Master Sugar, who had just returned with a young 
owl that he had abducted from its parents, that from 
some inexplainable formation in an Englishman's 
jaw, he was unable to string a quantity of syllables 
together like Wa-ha-sa-bunk-a-suck, &c, and 
that in future if they honoured me with their 
presence, they should be known to the reader's 
humble servant by the names I have already men- 
tioned. I was scarcely prepared to be questioned 
upon what their respective new appellations meant ; 



170 LONE LIFE : 

but when I found this was the first query each made, 
well — then I had to make a virtue of necessity, 
and go through a piece of acting, a thing I never 
could do in my life to the satisfaction of an English 
audience, although several times attempted ; however, 
I had a hope that these primitive children of the 
lone land would not be such fastidious critics as their 
civilised sisters. 

Rising from my seat, for we had entered the 
shanty, I pointed to the elder. Putting emphasis on 
the word Saucy, I said, " Saucy means," and then 
found myself at a full stop. " Confound it," thought 
I to myself, " brace yourself together, an old stager 
like you to be nonplussed in this way is absurd. 
Come, ! go in for the acting. Your critics have 
never seen Vestris, Mrs. Stirling, or Agnes Ro- 
bertson, and therefore it is out of their power to 
make comparisons which are odious." " True, oh 
king !" I responded to my argument (of course 
sotto voce), and with additional force I pronounced 
the word " Saucy." Grave and earnest remained 
my audience. This was reassuring — a titter would 
have done for me. Then I went through, mind you, 
without discredit to myself, the most difficult of any 
one to please, all the charming, attractive, impudent, 
yet nice ways of a petulant, saucy girl. I didn't do 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 171 

it by halves when once I was started, but entered into 
the spirit of the thing. At one moment I pretended 
with my left to take the right hand, then either 
affectedly drew it away, or smacked the objectionable 
paw for its attempted presumption ; then I assumed 
a countenance as if some one was speaking to me, 
and sharply turned my back as if I desired no fur- 
ther converse with them; finally winding up with 
several stamps of my feet, at the same time assuming 
the most indignant expression of countenance I could 
muster for the occasion, beckoning with both my 
hands as if to repel the nearer approach of some 
invisible stranger. 

Would you believe it, although a knowledge of 
the claque has not yet reached this neighbourhood, 
I received by look and gesture immense approbation, 
so subsided into a seat and rested complacently upon 
my well-earned laurels. 

Fatty-plumpy and Sugar chaffed Saucy im- 
mensely, yet the proud Indian girl took it all in good 
part, and joined in the merriment with as much gusto 
as the others. 

After a fair allowance of time for the effects of 
my previous eloquence to pass off, I again rose to my 
legs, when my audience became such attentive lis- 
teners, that their gravity was almost fatal to my 



172 LONE LIFE : 

equanimit}^. " Oh, what an example !" I hear he who 
struts the mimic stage exclaim, if one of such should 
ever read this book ; but I doubt it much, for I never 
met a knight of the sock and buskin either in the 
hunting-field, among the heather, or in the golden 
stubbles, so as a class I fear they are riot lovers of 
rural life, so scarcely likely to see this. Well, to the 
younger sister, looking steadily in the girl's face, I 
said, " Fatty-plumpy means this ;" I blew my cheeks 
out, stuck a representative of a pillow inside my coat, 
and waddled up and down the limited space that was 
unoccupied. Again the audience were convulsed, and 
I, satisfied with my efforts, again took my seat, causing 
my countenance to assume more than the usual seve- 
rity of expression ; for far from it was my desire to 
allow my hearers to imagine that a great mind like 
mine could be in the slightest degree affected by such 
frivolities. However, I found it hard to keep my 
gravity, so I braced myself till I looked like adamant, 
if such an expression is correct, for although I have 
heard the simile I do not remember ever to have seen 
the article. And when the strain upon my muscles 
required relaxing, I lit a pipe ; for when expelling 
smoke from your mouth or nostrils any contortion 
of features is supposed to be necessary to attain the 
end desired. 

For some minutes complete silence reigned among 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 173 

my guests, when the elder sister rose, and advancing 
towards me displayed upon her neck the cross that 
I had sent by her sister, the younger one immediately 
following suit ; and I had the gratification of knowing 
from the position where the baubles rested, that their 
recipients highly valued my trumpery gifts. 

As I could not give away my gewgaws every day, 
and they had doubtless an abundance at home of fish 
and venison, I ransacked my brain to find out what I 
could offer my guests. Sugar's love of molasses at 
once struck me as a probable weakness of the young 
ladies ; so I poured upon three birch-bark plates 
about a table-spoonful and handed the delicacy to 
each. Their enjoyment of it was truly delightful and 
refreshing to look at, but not having finger-glasses 
and table-napkins to place at their service, their 
physiognomies afterwards, although a little less so from 
the colour that nature had given them, reminded me 
of a tiddy-widdy, darling little duck-a-daisy, that a 
would-be successful candidate for a seat in Parlia- 
ment must kiss, or for ever after lose the goodwill 
of a doating mother, and through her an affectionate 
father's vote. 

As the afternoon was advancing and the day pro- 
mised sport, I determined to go up the river a mile 
or so and fish home. My guests accompanied me to 
the canoe, but instead of biding adieu when we em- 



174 LONE LIFE : 

barked, Saucy proposed my expelling Sugar, and 
taking his place : so pleased was the youngster that 
he got out into the water without asking permission, 
as if my acceptance was a matter of course. In a 
few moments I had him seated again, when I assured 
the ladies that I preferred at present paddling my own 
canoe. Still something appeared to be on their minds 
which they wished to say, for no movement did they 
make to indicate their intention to depart. Saucy, 
however, broke the ice. 

u You got no squaw ; me be your squaw." 

" And me," said Fatty-plumpy. 

It never rains but it pours ; two wives offered a lone 
lone man in the space of a minute ; there must be some 
deep, deep design underneath all this impenetrable to 
my opaque brain, so I declined their offers with thanks, 
protesting that so serious a matter would require 
time for consideration, at the same time 1 thought 
it advisable to remind Fatty-plumpy that Antoine 
was her admirer, at which she snapped her fingers, 
and with more energy than grace exclaimed, " That 
for Antoine." 

I think, gentle reader, you will pardon me if I 
confess that I began to imagine that I must be a 
deuced good-looking fellow, or the two belles of the 
neighbourhood would not be in love with me at the 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 175 

same time, and not only that, share my caresses be- 
tween them ; but all this speculation was ruthlessly 
dispelled by Fatty-plumpy exclaiming, licking her 
already well-daubed lips : 

" When you take time, Capen, and I your squaw, 
you give me molasses every day." 

"Good-bye girls, be virtuous and you will be happy," 
I pathetically loudly but rather hurriedly exclaimed, 
at the same time shaking my hand as if waving a 
fond adieu, while I muttered sotto voce to Sugar : 

" Dip your paddle deep you yellow-skinned young 
scoundrel, and get me out of this neighbourhood as 
soon as possible." 

The last I saw of the belles, they were young lady- 
like, one arm around the waist of the other, saunter- 
ing off into the woods. Would such a manner have 
been assumed if either had been jealous of the other ? 
Impossible, I mentally ejaculated. Is there not food 
here for thought % For among all the young ladies 
I have had the fortune to be acquainted with, I 
cannot name one who would be so self-denying as to 
share her husband with another, au contraire resent his 
paying even a sister more than the most common- 
place courtesy. Is jealousy, then, the result of edu- 
cation ? The subject is worthy the consideration of 
the School Board. 



176 LONE LIFE : 

The shock that my nervous system had suffered 
was rather too much for me, consequently I felt 
rather out of sorts, and without the ardour and en- 
thusiasm necessary to enjoy my fishing ; ultimately I 
lost my casting-line, finally broke the tip of my rod, 
so I desisted from further efforts against the trout, 
considering I had gone through enough that day for 
one man. 

That evening I hurriedly ate my meal and looked 
forward to a long and sound night's rest, but everything 
appeared determined to oppose my desire. First my 
favourite pipe took a fit of obstinacy and would not 
draw ; that having been rectified so as to put it out 
of its power to repeat such objectionable conduct, 
it refused to burn the tobacco evenly, and per- 
mitted the ash and essential oil to pass into my 
mouth by wholesale. In disgust I immediately se- 
lected another to fulfil its office, and the new broom 
happily swept clean ; then Sugar would chatter, so 
I snubbed the boy, and he in consequence pouted, 
and I felt disgusted with myself at my heartless con- 
duct. " I have it," thought I ; " I am about to have 
my old complaint, fever and ague." So I forthwith 
mixed a very strong and hot mug of whisky-punch. 
I felt an improvement after it had been drunk, so I 
turned into my crib without delay, and was soon in 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 177 

the land of dreams, playing the character of pasha 
of an unlimited number of tails with a harem around 
me that formed a perfect galaxy of beauty — when 
bow-wow went Skye, and Poteen joined in with all 
the power his lungs would afford him. 

It was no use trying to silence them, calling them 
by rotation good dogs or shying whatever I could 
lay my hand upon would not pacify the wretches, so 
most unwillingly I got up, my movement being fore- 
stalled by Sugar, who was endeavouring to obtain a 
light from the smouldering embers that faintly indi- 
cated where the fire had existed. 

" What the deuce is it?" I asked. 

" Me think bear at the smoke-house ; I hear log 
tumble off it." 

So slipping on such garments as were necessary, I 
was prepared to sally forth, gun in hand, followed by 
the boy armed with a second, and who had received 
instructions to place it in my hands if I failed to give 
the aggressor his quietus with two barrels. 

No sooner was the door open, than after their manner 
both dogs rushed frantically off, and in a few seconds 
afterwards there was such a row as woke up the most 
distant echoes, as well as every owl who was within 
miles. There was no mistaking this time ; something 
was at the smoke-house that had no right in its 

VOL. I. N 



178 LONE LIFE: 

vicinity ; whatever it was I knew it was receiving a 
sharp reception, for the intonation of Skye's voice, 
and of Poteen's also, he having gained pluck by the 
little one's example, plainly told that they were play- 
ing no game of romps. 

The night, although no moon was up, still was 
brilliant with the light of innumerable stars, and thus 
eminently suited for the task before us. As we 
approached the smoke-house the din of battle seemed 
to recede from it, obvious indication that the thief 
was attempting to make off, so I hallooed to the dogs 
to encourage them, and in response to my voice 
theirs increased in anger. A kind of intuitive fear 
seemed to steal over me that Skye would get mauled 7 
for I now had no longer doubt but that it was a bear, 
and I knew the little fellow's foolhardy pluck would 
induce him to run into the very jaws of death, so I 
ran, almost new, over logs, through brush, till I was 
within a few yards of the combatants. 

" There he is, Cap," called Sugar ; " don't you see ? 
— there — there." 

And at last I did see Master Bruin ascending a tree, 
good six feet off the ground, and rapidly increasing his 
distance from the earth, with Skye hanging to his 
rump, and Poteen no way backwards, snapping at the 
enemy as long as he remained within reach. The 



A YEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 179* 

position and the shadows were such that I could not 
shoot with precision, and I dreaded only to wound the 
creature for the sake of my dogs. One thing certain, 
he was an enormous fellow, and now that he was in 
my power I was determined to have him. 

Thirteen or fourteen feet from the ground a 
branch projected from the parent stem ; on reaching 
this the bear shifted his position, as if to take stock 
of the enemy, and my little favourite let go his hold 
and dropped to the ground apparently none the worse 
for his exertions. 

Bruin evidently did not like our looks, so he 
resolved to place more distance between himself and 
his enemies, so recommenced his ascent. What 
between the uncertainty of the light, the heavy 
shadows and the foliage overhead, move as I would, 
I could not get a clean shot. So I sent Sugar 
to the shanty for my ground rug, blanket, pipe and, 
tobacco, for I determined to delay the battle till. 
daylight, unless forced upon me earlier. 

In a quarter of an hour the boy was back, ten 
minutes more his skilful hands had lit a fire, and we 
sat down to watch that the foe did not steal a march 
upon us. 

Several times I caught myself dozing, but when I 
pulled myself together I could see the young Indian's- 
n2 



180 LONE LIFE: 

^snake-like eyes firmly fixed upon a dark mass in the 
overhead foliage, while the two dogs sat restlessly by 
the fire, leaving every few moments its grateful light 
•and heat, to prevent the misappropriator of their 
master's goods from escaping his due reward. 

A fire in the dense forest at midnight is a peculiar 
and impressive scene ; one to be remembered if once 
witnessed, not to be imagined if never seen. To do 
it justice by description is impossible, for as varied 
"as are the forms of the dancing blaze, as numerous 
are the weird shadows that flit around whenever the 
4ight becomes uncertain. 

Time, like many other things, is obstinate, and lags 
on the way when supplicated to hasten its flight. 
On this occasion it behaved even worse than usual. 
At length I knew daybreak was near, for the owls 
commenced in loud voice to lament that their noc- 
turnal forays were near an end for that night. 

From far, far away, floated a weird-like yell, which 
even distance had not mellowed. I looked inquir- 
ingly to Sugar for information. " That," said he, " is 
the lucifee" (anglice, bay lynx). I should not have 
required to ask the question, for many a time it has 
made my heart's blood run cold by the suddenness 
with which this animal would give vent to its un- 
earthly voice. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 181* 

" I suspect mooin like very much to come down, 
See, Capen, lie going to try ;" and sure enough there 
was every indication that such was the bear's in- 
tention. 

" I wish the brute would remain where he is half 
an hour longer," I exclaimed. 

" So he will," said my companion, " if you not like 
shoot yet." On which he pulled a brand from the 
fire and rattled it against the trunk of the tree, and 
sure enough mooin settled down in his original 
position. 

So inherent is a knowledge of the habits of wild 
animals in the Red-man, that even their children 
know intuitively what it is necessary to do in their 
pursuit to obtain any desired result. The white man 
who spends a life in the wilderness, may be able ta 
kill more game than an Indian hunter, but it is 
because he is invariably better armed, and always 
superior as a shot ; but try which can, undetected, 
approach closest to a cariboo or moose, or follow 
them when wounded through the intricacies of a 
hemlock or cedar swamp, and the snake-visioned 
aborigine will be so immeasurably superior as to 
make comparison absurd. 

Slowly at first, but with increasing rapidity, the 
night gives way to day. Bruin's position and atti- 



182 LONE LIFE: 

tude can be clearly defined ; fresh charges are placed 
in each barrel, so as to insure against a hang or 
misfire, and I raise my large gun to my shoulder, 
take a steady but not protracted aim, and as the trigger 
is pressed the bear falls forward, slides down a few 
feet, clings for a moment, and then falls to the earth 
with a heavy thud. Both dogs in a moment are 
upon him ; but as I feared, their temerity cost them 
dearly, for Poteen received a blow which knocked 
him off his legs, and caused him to sing out most 
lustily. 

A second shot I fire into the enraged brute at a 
distance of seven or eight yards ; but instead of 
incapacitating the bear from further exertion, it 
seems to imbue him with additional ferocity. On me 
his hate is now centred ; the lad shoves the second 
gun into my hand, and the plucky boy has done it 
none too soon, for already my foe has risen on 
his hind legs to grasp me ; but my ball this time 
does its work, entering the head under the chin 
close to its junction with the neck, and Bruin rolls 
over backwards, belching forth mouthfuls of his 
heart's blood. The strife is over, and I the winner ; 
but after all with little to boast of, although much 
to be thankful for, for if Sugar's heart had failed 
him, or my last shot had not been so well placed — 



A YEAK IN THE WILDEENESS. 183 

wel], I should doubtless have received an embrace 
more earnest than affectionate. 

My trophy I should deem was quite four hundred 
pounds weight, although far from fat ; extremely old, 
judging from his teeth and claws, and quite a veteran, 
if an opinion could be formed from the numerous 
scars upon his head and neck. 

The hide was far from being in good order, never- 
theless sufficiently serviceable to make an excellent 
rug, if such should be required in the following 
winter. 

After an unusual amount of excitement there is 
sure to be a reaction, and I believe all the coterie, dogs 
included, and even myself, felt little inclined for 
more exercise that day ; so the hours fled in that 
lethargic, unmarked manner that causes one to look 
back with astonishment upon the passage of time, 
and wonder how on earth it can be so late, for late it 
certainly is, when I find the sun is scarcely an hour 
high above the western forest line. 

As my rod was together, and casting-line attached, 
I picked it up and sauntered off to the throat of the 
pool. The second or third cast I rose and hooked a 
very lively fish about four pounds, which took at 
least ten minutes to land. A few more throws con- 
vinced me that the trout were unusually " well on 



184 LONE LIFE: 

the feed," so I went up stream several hundred yards, 
so as to leave the pool at the shanty door undisturbed, 
for it was a wonderful handy little preserve if a few 
fresh fish were wanted for a meal. 

Two flies on my leader I found more than requisite, 
so I took off my dropper, retaining for trail what is 
familiarly known throughout Canada as the Montreal 
fly ; its principal colour is grey, slightly ornamented 
with a few strands of scarlet ibis feather, and will 
generally be found very killing upon all Dominion 
waters early in the season. 

An advantage that North American trout-fishing 
possesses over British, is that much larger hooks are 
used, and thus much easier to be traced correctly by 
the eye in their passage through the water. 

A more lovely sunset than occurred on that even- 
ing, I cannot but once recall. On the occasion I 
allude to I had rested on the southern shores of 
Lake Ontario after a long and successful day's fish- 
ing, and when the sun dropped behind the placid 
pure waters of the lake, the heavens were illuminated 
to the zenith with the most brilliant vermilion clouds ; 
to-night it was nearly the same, and the light after 
old Sol had hid his face looked softened and coloured 
as if it had passed through a gigantic window of 
Bohemian glass. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 185 

There was but one drawback to the pleasure the 
observer can revel in if he loves nature seen to such 
advantage, viz., the black-flies and mosquitoes, which 
are commencing to be troublesome. However, the 
former disappear when the chill of the night air com- 
mences to be felt, the latter on the contrary seem to 
regard the additional cold as a stimulant to their 
appetite. 

When the shadows had increased to such a length 
as to blend into one undefined dark mass, I heard a 
sound proceeding from a clump of spruce-trees in my 
rear with which my ear was very familiar, but so 
far I had been unable to discover what bird or quad- 
ruped produced it. The sound is a peculiar whine, 
which might with a little stretch of imagination be 
taken for that of a puppy. Leaving my rod stuck 
upright in the soil, I slowly stole into the bush and 
stalked towards the place from whence I thought the 
unknown notes issued. Almost arriving at my desti- 
nation a couple of Tewgmalm's owls took flight and 
crossed the river. Still doubting that they could be 
the origin of the strange call, I had the uncertainty 
dispelled by soon hearing the whining voice proceed 
from their new resting-place. At this season of the 
year the numerous species of Strigidce are incessantly 
engaged from sunset to daybreak hunting for their 



186 LONE LIFE : 

favourite prey in the darkest and most dismal parts 
of the forest ; even hares are not too large to escape 
their attention, but on emergency they can put up 
with moles, mice, and even frogs for their diet. 

One of the most destructive of this numerous 
family is the Virginian or eagle-owl, whose courage 
is quite equal to its strength — for I doubt if there 
is anything from a cat downwards that it will not 
assault, and so extraordinary is the power of its 
€laws, that woe even to grimalkin if they are fastened 
on his back. 

Their call notes, for they have two, are impressive, 
not easily forgotten, but far from agreeable, one re- 
sembling the yelling of a maniac in the throes of his 
agony. Many a time when on the trail after the 
path had become indistinct from the sombre gloom of 
the dense foliage overhead, I have been startled, 
almost my blood made run cold, by this fiendish 
maniacal yell suddenly bursting on my ear. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 187 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Antoine, my French Canadian, not having re- 
turned, I begin to fear that he must have got into 
trouble, or found new companions ; although some- 
times sceptical on the sincerity of his protestations of 
friendship, still his appearance about the shanty 
makes the place much less solitary. Moreover, at 
night, whether he has been spending the day fishing, 
shooting, or trapping, he has something to narrate in 
reference to his success or day's adventures. 

Another advantage that his presence afforded was, 
that in half an hour he could cut up as much fire- 
wood as it took Sugar or myself double the time to 
accomplish, and the consumption of that useful article 
far advanced in the season as we now are, is not in- 
considerable. However, I must remain satisfied till 
I go to Schudic Lake, for it is more than probable 



188 LONE LIFE : 

that some of the Indians there will be able to give 
me information of his whereabouts. 

I had been employed all the morning fly-tying, as 
I wish to be provided with a good stock before start- 
ing for the ridges, and every day seems to increase 
the duties to be attended to, and is likely to do so up 
to the date of our departure. 

Shortly before commencing to cook our mid- day 
meal, the Indian boy, who had returned from the river 
with a bucket of water, informed me that Poteen, 
who always followed the lad as a shadow, " had been 
nearly eat up by biggestest of wolves." However, the 
dog looked all right, although certainly his counte- 
nance indicated that he had been alarmed. On ques- 
tioning my attendant I found that a wolf had made 
a dash from the cover near the boat-house at Poteen, 
and but for the lad seizing a stick and rushing 
to the rescue, I should have probably lost his 
valuable services. Taking down my gun I went 
out with the hope of obtaining a shot, and although 
I searched all the most likely places in the vicinity I 
could not catch a view of the marauder. I was much 
annoyed at this visit, for I felt convinced it would 
not be the last, and that probably my pet Skye would 
be picked up by the grey scoundrel and carried off 
before I should have a chance to interfere, for it is a 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 189 

most extraordinary thing that a wolf seems to prefer 
a dog to all other prey, even excepting young pig. 
As the canoe required some caulking I devoted the 
-afternoon to that purpose. My gun I did not 
hesitate to take with me, as Skye was my com- 
panion, and I felt doubtful whether the visitor of 
the morning was not lurking somewhere in the 
neighbourhood. 

I had almost completed my labour when my fa- 
vourite became uneasy, every few minutes advancing 
towards the bushes, barking for an instant vehe- 
mently, and then returning to my side. Pretending 
to continue intensely occupied, I kept my eyes fixed 
upon the suspicious locality, having shifted my posi- 
tion so as to be able to lay my hands on my double- 
barrel at the shortest possible notice. However, I 
could discern nothing, but this did not reassure me, 
for too well was I aware of the stealthy nature of 
the animal I supposed was concealed close by. 

I thought and thought, still I could devise no 
means that promised the desired object of making 
him show himself, so I resolved gun in hand to make a 
rush with the hope that the rapidity of my move- 
ment would take the intruder by surprise, and thus 
give me an opportunity to get a shot at him as he 
sneaked off. I waited for a few minutes ; Skye, who 



190 LONE LIFE : 

had advanced again towards the suspicions neigh- 
bourhood, still barking with more hurry and greater 
indications of fear than heretofore, rushed hurriedly 
back to my side. Now or never I mentally exclaimed, 
and dashed into the brush ; once in it the under- 
growth was not so close, and from this circumstance 
I got a good view of the skulker. Bang, bang went 
both barrels as quick as thought, and the object of 
my aim lay struggling in the dust — both barrels had 
been fired at a range of less than twenty-five yards., 
and the heavy shot they contained had done fearful 
execution. The position that the animal was in 
when first covered, caused him to get the charge fore 
and aft, which resulted in the hair and hide being 
much destroyed. 

This was one of the largest wolves I have ever 
seen, the true grey timber breed, and very closely 
allied to the north of Europe representative of the 
race. From the very worn and decayed state of his 
teeth I should imagine he was quite a veteran in 
years, and his plump well-fed carcase plainly said he 
had been living on the fat of the land. At this season 
of the year, from the quantity of birds and animals 
that are breeding, I expect they have little difficulty 
in obtaining food, but the destruction of life to satisfy 
the wants of an animal gifted with so insatiable an 
appetite must be enormous. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 191 

My success on this occasion was most satisfactory, 
for after becoming aware of this wolf's visit I never 
would have left home without feeling uneasy that 
one of the clogs would be carried off in my absence. 

Sugar's delight knew no bounds, and never pre- 
viously did I see a carcase more rapidly skinned 
than this one under his skilful hands. A curious cir- 
cumstance and worthy of mention is that two por- 
cupine's quills were discovered in the wolf, one 
buried over an inch in the muscles of the neck, the 
other nearly as far, but running longitudinally in the 
cheek. After all my boy's exertions the hide was not 
worth the trouble bestowed upon it, for it was sadly 
deficient of hair and tremendously riddled with the 
shot, so both it and the carcase were taken into the 
rapids and committed to their safe keeping. 

The latitude up here is too high for many different 
families of snakes to be found ; but there is one 
species very abundant, whose thick form and slug- 
gish appearance indicate that at least he is well- 
fed. In more than colour and proportions it re- 
sembles the water viper ; in fact if it was not that this 
reptile is not venomous, I should pronounce them to- 
be the same. In length they are from four to five 
feet, of a dark chocolate colour, large in the head, 
and do not terminate in a fine-pointed tail. In wet 
grass land on the margin of water they are most 



192 LONE LIFE : 

numerous, in fact, so much so that a dozen may be 
seen in the course of an hour. I am sure the poor 
frogs that live in this vicinity must pass an anxious 
time, for I suppose they are their principal food, at 
the same time it appears impossible that this sluggish 
reptile can capture one of them otherwise than by 
surprise. Sugar, who is devoted to bait-fishing, and 
looks with eyes of contempt on my artificial flies, 
which he calls " a mosquito fixing," seldom returns 
after spending some hours at his favourite amuse- 
ment without announcing the intelligence that " he 
catchee one danvcl big snake." As his bait is invariably 
a shiner, a beautiful bright little fish like a dace, 
it is evident that these reptiles have a penchant for 
fish ; but their velocity should prevent them often 
becoming victims. 

These remarks were induced from my having 
visited the marsh that I have previously spoken of, 
to see if snipe were still abundant. Such is not the 
case, the preponderating number doubtless having 
proceeded further northward to breed, those that re- 
main being similarly engaged. After a great deal of 
searching I discovered a nest with only two eggs in 
it ; these I removed to make some notes upon, that I 
may be able at a future date to find out if they and 
those of our English snipe exactly agree. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 193 

The wild-duck's nest discovered on my last visit, 
I found deserted. From ^ portions of broken shell 
scattered around the vicinity, I have little doubt 
but that the fond mother succeeded in hatching her 
brood, and probably now is secreted with her progeny 
in some of the neighbouring beds of rushes. 

June 10. — This afternoon the flies are fearfully 
troublesome ; not for a moment would they give me 
rest ; the result is that both my hands and face are 
swollen excessively, causing me to suffer intense irri- 
tation. I can put up with a great deal of inconve- 
nience, fatigue, and annoyance, but the persecu- 
tion of these wretches makes me irritable and discon- 
tented. 

An hour before sunset I visited the river; the fourth 
or fifth cast I made rose a large fish, which I hooked. 
This trout was wonderfully strong and active, thus 
requiring all my attention. I believe the black-flies 
and mosquitoes are aware of the helplessness of my 
position when fast to a large fish, for they surround 
me in clouds, and feed upon every exposed portion of 
my person. At such a time to smack your face you 
dare not, or your rod, or line, or both would be 
smashed, so I submitted, but not with a good grace, 
to be eaten alive. I doubt if Job would. If one 
could discover a means of annihilating these two 

VOL. I. 



194 LONE LIFE : 

bloodthirsty races, what a benefactor he would be to 
the human family. 

Arriving at the shanty, [Master Sugar I found 
busy, the two dogs watching his labour. On a log 
which was hewn smooth, and was invariably used 
for the purpose, he had a large otter stretched, and 
almost completely skinned. "Him worth five dol- 
lar!" he exclaimed, when I reached his side. It was 
the one I pointed out to the boy some weeks since 
in the pool above our residence ; at least there he 
had caught it. 

At length the flies have become such perfect 
plagues that I have determined to start for the upland 
barrens as soon as I can put my home in order, for I 
s have resolved to take Master Sugar with me, although 
originally I had intended leaving him behind in 
charge of my property ; but the boy looked so down- 
cast, so thoroughly prostrated at the mention of a 
separation that my heart relented, it having suddenly 
occurred to me that possibly he suffered as much as 
myself from the summer pests of the woodlands* 
Before informing him that I had changed my plans 
he hazarded in a half-timid inquiring manner the 
question whether the dogs would be left behind. 
On answering in the negative, I observed one of 
those peculiar pouts steal over his face, which ge- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 195 

nerally in white children precede tears, doubtless the 
thoughts of parting with his bedfellow and boon 
companion Poteen, had no small portion in the cause 
of the show of so much emotion. 

In the State of Maine, and on the edges of the 
provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, I have 
found the mosquitoes and black-flies so numerous as to 
believe that a few, more would render them beyond 
the endurance of human nature ; but it is surprising 
what human beings can put up with when com- 
pelled, for in my present abode, the air, the ground, 
the bushes seem to have no other employment but 
to produce and reproduce them in countless myriads. 
Besides the two pests above-mentioned, there are 
three more, the diminutive sand-fly, the breeze-fly, 
and the moose- fly ; the first is so small, that even 
while you feel the pain of his bite on the back of 
the hand, it takes close examination to discover its 
exact situation. It seems to sink into a pore of the 
skin, and the sensation it imparts to the sufferer is 
such as might be imagined to result from being 
touched with the point of a red-hot needle. The 
two others, although far from unwilling to pay the 
wanderer their delicate attentions, ^are much easier 
avoided from their size. 

For the last few days I have lived in an atmc- 
02 



196 lone life: 

sphere of smoke to endeavour to persuade the per- 
secutors to retire, and my skin in consequence feels 
-like that of a mummy ; but all is of no avail, smudges 
of damp wood smouldering in-doors, out-doors, and 
*in every available place, fail to have the desired 
•effect. So after resisting for ever so long (much 
.against my will, for the process is so dirty) I am com- 
pelled to smear my face, neck, and hands with oil of 
tar. For an hour or two after undergoing this 
process you have comparative rest, but the moment the 
perspiration commences to remove it, then the patient 
must undergo a fresh dressing with this filthy un- 
guent; Friends of mine have frequently, and with 
*the greatest confidence, recommended camphor and 
penny-royal, as a recipe certain to protect the sports- 
man ; both I have given a fair trial, and can only say, 
Bosh! 

One thing I have found thoroughly efficacious in 
?the house to expel these minute pests, but it cannot 
be obtained except by those who have made a length- 
ened sojourn in the woods, viz., the giant fungus 
stripped from the tree stems, and dried in the sun 
till perfectly free from the smallest particle of damp ; 
this is a very long process, and no other mode of 
drying will secure the desired result. The fungus 
•then having been properly cured, place a piece as 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 19 T 

big as an apple on the floor in the middle of your 
apartment ; after having set it on fire, it will smoulder 
for hours, emitting rather a pungent smoke, un- 
pleasant possibly to human beings, but infinitely pre- 
ferable to the society of the insatiable bloodsuckers. 

When travelling in China, I was frequently an- 
noyed by mosquitoes, more especially if our resting- 
place was in the vicinity of a canal or paddy-fields ; 
but when such was the case, the coolies would pur- 
chase from the nearest shop a substance that smoul- 
dered like a joss-stick, and which would not be 
lighted over a few minutes before every insect had 
fled. 

Nor are the attacks of these pests of the American 
woodlands confined to man ; my poor dogs suffered 
more, I believe, than myself. Scarcely a minute's 
rest did the unfortunate creatures obtain during day 
or night, so that from constant worry and want of 
sleep they became attenuated and low-spirited, while 
their coats stared and their eyes became bleared, in- 
dications that invariably precede hydrophobia. 

So much do the moose and cariboo endure at this 
season of the year from the same pests, that they 
spend the greater portion of the twenty-four hours in. 
the water, with only the upper portion of the head 
above the surface. The bears are also not exempt 



I§8 LONE LIFE : 

from this persecution ; in fact, one day I heard one of 
these animals moaning in that mumbling manner with 
which they appear to denote both pleasure and pain. 
An Indian hunter was with me at the time ; inquiring 
from him what was the cause, his response was : 

" Guess the flies after mooin." 

That some persons get callous to their attacks, I 
have no doubt, from the following incident : I was 
shooting ruffed grouse in a thick birch cover in the 
State of Maine. Although birds were abundant the 
flies caused me to desist. On reaching the edge of a 
clearing I perceived a farmer engaged in the interest- 
ing and amusing occupation of picking stones off his 
land. After saluting the husbandman, I remarked 
that the flies were fearfully bad to-day (around both 
his head and mine hovered thousands). " Well, there 
are a few," was his response, and immediately he 
reverted to his occupation as unconcerned as possible, 
although I would dare to bet that there were a 
hundred at that moment feeding upon his face, neck, 
and hands. 

Wonderful, certainly, are the ways of Providence, 
for how could this unfortunate being have cultivated 
his five acres of stone-covered, impoverished soil if 
lie had suffered from the attacks of mosquitoes and 
black-flies, as does your humble servant ? With the 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 199 

^vil I should not neglect to mention the good. When 
the sun goes down all the black-flies disappear, their 
absence lasting throughout the night ; not so with the 
mosquitoes, they revel in darkness, and their appetites, 
ever excellent, during the hours we devote to rest 
appear increased. 

Another instance of the voracity and numbers of 
these insect pests I will mention. I have seen a brown 
cow turned literally black by the countless thousands 
of black-flies that adhered to her body, and the 
gratitude the poor thing would evince if a piece of 
damp decayed wood was lit for her to stand over, was 
most touching. 



200 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTER XIV. 

As it is settled that Sugar accompanies me, it is 
necessary that a hiding-place should be found for 
our surplus property, for we must start for the high 
grounds in the lightest of marching order. This was 
no very difficult matter if man's inquisitive prying 
propensities had alone to be dreaded, for here our race 
are very few and far between; but all the wild 
animals are imbued with so much curiosity, and with 
it destructiveness, that it becomes a difficult matter 
to guard against them. About a hundred yards from 
the river and nearly half a mile from the shanty was 
a very small cave, about the size of a subaltern's 
barrack-room at Chatham, or an officer's cabin in a 
government troop-ship. Around its entrance were 
scattered several blocks of granite, which with hand- 
spikes could be rolled so as to entirely close the 
entrance. After due consideration I decided that it 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 201 

would suit my purpose ; so the boy was sent up to 
clear it out. A flitting, as it is termed in Scotland, 
is never an agreeable affair, and it is extraordinary 
how one's property accumulates, for it took nearly 
an entire day transporting skins, fish, &c, to the 
storehouse. At length our labour was at an end, 
and, oh, how miserable our little home looked when 
we returned at evening to spend Our last night 
within its walls. I was late in going to bed, and as 
I sat thinking of the past, home, companions, and 
foreign and far distant scenes I had visited, the logs, 
seats, and tables seemed to chide me for my deser- 
tion, even the wind appeared to sing a requiem of con- 
dolence with my dumb reprovers. 

Day broke clear and bright, the stream merrily 
laughed as it danced over the rapids. A cedar-bird 
sung his sweet plaintive song from the topmost 
bough of our favourite shade tree, a hemlock spruce, 
and the restless blue jays and woodpeckers were 
busier and more loquacious than was their wont, as we 
launched our canoe from under the guardian branches 
of the graceful silver birch that formed our boat-house. 
Our ba^ga^e ^vas liorht, so the craft was soon loaded. 
Sugar, Skye, and Poteen by instinct found their re- 
spective places; quietly I stepped into the stern, and 
with a shove of my paddle we were forced out into the 



202 ; LONE LIFE: 

eddying river and our fragile craft danced along with 
the rushing current. As we doubled the point that 
shut out the last view of our late home, we bid it a 
loud but fond adieu, then dipping our paddles deep 
rushed into the rapids, and bounded on over the 
surging water that fretted itself to foam over the 
jagged rock obstructions that barred its course. 
\ Schudic Lake was our destination. The Indian 
encampment on its margin was about ten miles from 
the shanty by land, twenty by water, but so great 
was the velocity of the current that the time ne- 
cessary to reach it by either route w T as about the 
same. There I wished to leave my canoe for safe 
keeping, as well as endeavour to obtain among 
these, my nearest neighbours, a guide for the un- 
known regions I was about to explore. When we 
had passed the familiar scenes that we encountered 
almost daily, and where the navigation was tho- 
roughly known, Sugar, whose duty it was to keep a 
sharp look-out for snags, rocks, and invisible 
dangers, relapsed into perfect silence — even our four- 
footed companions seemed oppressed with serious 
thoughts. With such a surrounding very out of place 
would have been trivial conversation, for on every side 
was room for wonder and admiration of the works 
of the Creator of the Universe. Above a clear blue 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 203 

sky, beneath an emerald transparent water, on either 
hand rocks or gravelly bays, margined by the finest" 
timber that nature with her bounteous hand could 
grow. The pine, autocrat of the forest, shuts out the 
distance ; the balsam and spruce, no less beautiful, but 
of smaller stature, try to rival in height their giant 
brother, while the birch and maple with feathery 
branches dip with gentle touch the gliding water, and 
contrast with wonderful harmony their light-green 
foliage against the sombre colouring of the darker 
timber. The pines, the balsams, and the spruces 
have all the stern grandeur of the male, the birch 
and maple the soft attractive dalliance of the female. 
On our way we flush numerous wild-fowl, but my 
gun reposes in its cover, for I feel disinclined to mar 
the harmony that here exists, either by blood-shedding 
or disturbing the latent echoes. 

Not dreaming, for sharp eye and a quick hand were 
in constant requisition, but pondering, thinking, we 
shot round a point, leaving the rapid and entering a 
placid, quiet pool. Our sudden appearance was so un- 
expected that a bull moose who was floating with com- 
pletely submerged body, gazed at us with wondering 
eyes for several moments, ere it appeared to flash across 
his brain that the neighbourhood of the new comers 
was dangerous in the extreme to his safety. With a 



204 • , LONE life: 

lunge forward like a rearing horse he struck bottom 
with his hind-feet. A repetition of the action took 
him into shallow water, when shaking the spray from 
his glossy dark hide he rapidly trotted off into the 
friendly" shelter of the neighbouring wood. Ample 
time was afforded me to have killed this deer, 
but not being short of provisions I let him go, much 
to the chagrin of my red-skinned companion. 

In alluding to this animal, I say trotted off : other 
representatives of the genus would have galloped, 
or more correctly speaking, bounded away ; but in 
all my experience I have never seen the moose do so. 
Their gait is a trot, and a wonderfully swift one 
when pressed ; but I do not think, from physical 
formation, that they can gallop. 

Only one authority that I know of notices this 
peculiarity, Captain Hardy, of the Royal Artillery,, 
and in a foreign periodical devoted to natural history, 
I see he is taken severely to task for the assertion — 
and most unjustly so I think. 

Without further hap or adventure we reached 
Schudic Lake. From the entrance of the river into it 
to the Indian encapment was only a couple of miles, 
so a strong and deep stroke with our paddles, in half 
an hour revealed the wigwams, which stood upon 
some high ground divested of trees, at the termina- 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEKNESS. 205 

tion of a narrow bay. But for thin lines of circling 
smoke I should have thought the place deserted, for 
neither canoe upon the beach, or other insignia, showed 
signs of human occupation. 

My companion proposed a shot to warn them of 
our coming. Acquiescing in his suggestion, I raised 
the muzzle of my gun to the heavens and pulled the 
trigger, and scarcely had the report died away in the 
distance before a dozen persons of every age and sex, 
with twice the number of dogs, appeared almost as 
rapidly as Roderick Dhu's soldiers from their unpre- 
tending dwellings, and laughing, hooting, and scram- 
bling, rushed to the landing-place to greet the stran- 
gers, who by this time had got into sufficiently shallow 
water to render it necessary to disembark from the 
canoe, that her frail bottom might not suffer from 
coming in contact with the pebbly beach. Welcome, 
most welcome were we made by these primitive people ; 
but I must record to their shame, that the Indian dogs 
were far from favourably impressed with the appear- 
ance of my quadrupeds, and that moreover they did 
not hesitate to show it. But the hands of their masters 
were no way backward in repressing such inhospitable 
conduct, sticks and stones were abundant and close ; 
in a moment females and males had each seized 
a weapon, and the numerous howds and limping 



206 LONE LIFE: 

dogs disappearing over the brow, told that skill with 
such missiles was part of the education of the Indian* 
A short examination of the goodly assembly disclosed 
that the majority were women and children, the 
young and mature men being away hunting; but 
this circumstance did not appear in the least to 
prevent our becoming the recipients of their hos- 
pitality. 

Foremost among those who presented themselves 
to shake hands with me, were Saucy and Fatty- 
plumpy. Never previously had I seen either look so 
well ; their dark skins glistened with the bloom of 
health, and their mischievous eyes twinkled with 
merriment as if they recalled the memory of some- 
thing unusually droll. Perhaps my countenance indi- 
cated the same, for every time our eyes met there 
was a speaking glance, a downward look, and a sub- 
dued titter. However, the two sisters did not con- 
sider that they were alone intended for ornament, 
for my baggage was divided between them, and each 
with a fair man's load on her back, walked by my 
side towards the wigwams with as much ease and 
grace as a Eegent-street beauty would with nought 
but her parasol to encumber her. 

A point of etiquette now occurred which required 
finesse so as to hurt no one's feelings, viz., whose 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 207 

domicile should I occupy. As a white hunter, the 
chief's by right, in which case I should be eternally 
under the gaze of these mischievous girls, and 
who possibly might revert to their matrimonial 
stratagems, so I proposed, as neither the chief nor his 
sons were at home, to quarter myself on a querulous, 
blear-eyed sexigenarian, with a limp in one leg, and a 
most diabolical cast of countenance. But this would 
not be listened to ; in fact, I doubt much if the old 
man had the power to receive me after what was said, 
and I was pushed and hauled into the wigwam of the 
parents of the two dark-skinned beauties ; the wife, 
and I suppose the mother of Fatty-p lumpy, stating 
in high falsetto all the time, " That as all their mans 
had gone hunt, plenty room for me." I should 
not like to take away the good lady's character, and 
then I might be mistaken, for her English was far 
from perfect, and my knowledge of her tongue 
limited, but as they had no male guardian at home > 
inclination as well as right made her appropriate the 
first man that Providence threw in her way. 

However, the air was too warm and the flies too 
numerous to enjoy any comfort within their birch- 
bark residence, so I seized the first available oppor- 
tunity to escape into the fresh air, and when I 
imagined myself free from observati , picked up 



208 LONE LIFE : 

my gun, and whistling for Poteen and Skye, stole off 
into the woods. Whether it be that this situation 
from proximity to the lake is less sheltered than the 
vicinity of my own shanty, the cover was not nearly so 
dense, and the deciduous trees appear less numerous. 
Pushing directly from the water, I kept ascending 
till I gained an elevation over the lake of six or 
seven hundred feet. This plateau was entirely free 
from large timber, although clothed with a close 
growth of witch-elm, sumach, and several varieties of 
creepers. 

From the altitude of the position a pleasant breeze 
was perceptible, and the nuisances of the lowlands, 
the flies and mosquitoes, were absent. The view 
from here was magnificent. At my feet reposed the 
lake calm as glass, while the shadows on its bosom 
reflected the surrounding high ground and trees with 
as much distinctness as if they were reality. Nume- 
rous islands of irregular shapes and various sizes, all 
covered with heavy coniferous timber, added much to 
the picturesqueness of the scene, while the hazy green 
distance of outline, occasionally broken by a monarch 
of the forest more stalwart than his fellows, formed 
a most fitting and charming picture. To the left 
could trace for many a mile the tortuous course of 
the river which we had descended in the morning, 



A TEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 209^ 

green as an emerald where the pools occurred, but white 
as snow along the surface of the turbulent rapids. 

No need here for distance to lend enchantment to 
the scene. All was enchantment, fairyland; but 
only fancy the contrast between it at this season and 
in the depths of winter ; could anything be imagined 
greater ? — I very much doubt it. Skirting this ridge 
the dogs flushed a brace of Canadian or spruce 
partridges, which with their usual indifference to the 
presence of man, lit on the branch of a patriarchal 
birch-tree within twenty yards of my position. 

Inquisitiveness, as with women, seems to be their 
besetting weakness, and as often brings the former 
to a premature death, as the latter into trouble. The- 
wing of a wonderfully killing trout fly is made from, 
this bird's rich dark chestnut feathers, so I felt few 
qualms of conscience in killing both. 

They were in most perfect feather, and would have 
done grace, to an ornithologist's case of stuffed birds,* 
In appearance they very much resemble the red 
grouse of our Scotch hills, so much so in fact, that 
all but an expert would confuse tho two together, 
for even the scarlet iris around the eye is not 
wanting. 

The extreme tameness of the spruce partridge,, 
more properly spruce grouse, is easily accounted for.: 

VOL. I. P 



210 LONE LIFE: 

Inhabiting as they do these immense northern forests, 
they seldom or never see members of the human 
family, and thus are ignorant of his bloodthirsty in- 
stincts. The fox, the mink, and the eagle-owl, they 
are familiar with, and possess as much subtlety in 
avoiding their proximity as many birds that are sup- 
posed to be far more wary. 

I have often advocated their introduction into the 
North of England and South of Scotland, but I fear 
my endeavours have not been crowned with success, 
for I have never learned of a trial being made, still I 
stick to my idea, and believe the man of means 
would be well rewarded, even supposing he spent 
hundreds of pounds to be successful in the pro- 
ject. 

Winding down the side of the slope sheltered from 
the northern breezes, I found wherever the ground 
was sufficiently open, the greatest abundance of wild 
strawberries, not large like those that are highly culti- 
vated, or even of medium size, as such that have gone 
wild in an old bed from neglect, but the tiny little 
mountain berry so delicious in flavour. Their pro- 
fusion w T as something remarkable, for in the space of 
a couple of yards, diminutive as they were, sufficient 
might have been collected to have satisfied the ap- 
petite of a growing schoolboy, and that is not saying 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 211 

a little. In the vicinity of Pembina I had previously 
seen strawberries growing in great luxuriance, but 
not numerically to compare with the profusion of 
those now around me. Of course, such an oppor- 
tunity was not to be let pass, so I lay down at length 
and fed till satiated. 

I was not alone in my feast, for numerous peabiddy- 
birds (white-throated sparrow) and hermit thrushes 
seemed to be as partial to this delicately flavoured 
fruit as myself, and so careless did they appear to be 
of my presence that they darted down among the 
green vine-like leaves, or hovered over an intended 
alighting place, frequently within a few paces of my 
couch. This was rather surprising, for the hermit 
thrush is of such a solitary nature, than even in 
glades and forests where he is known to be abundant 
it is no easy matter to get sight of this exquisite 
songster — exquisite I say, for there are few birds that 
possess such a charming flute-like note, which it 
often prolongs in the warm nights of early summer 
up to even the wee small hours. 

A month ago, those trees which cast their leaves 
in fall were as bare as telegraph poles, now they are 
covered with as dense a foliage as the most luxuriant 
of exotics. The rapidity with which vegetable life 
advances after the snows have become melted, and the 
P2 



212 LONE LIFE : 

chill frosts of night are followed by days of heat, has 
often been commented upon, but those who have not 
seen it would never realise it from description. The 
increase is so rapid, that the difference that occurs in 
twenty-four hours is perfectly observable. In the 
short space of a single night, and in little more than 
a week, some species, particularly the sugar maple, 
from being absolutely naked will be clothed in a 
dense and lovely foliage. In my stroll I came across 
one of my special favourites, for I know few trees 
more picturesque, viz., a black-birch almost eighty 
feet in height, and clothed about its stem with the 
most ragged coating of slate-coloured moss and dis- 
hevelled bark, so as to impart the idea to the observer 
that its age must almost be coeval with that of the 
world. I never look at one of these hoary giants, 
but the figure of old Father Winter, or Santa 
Claus, as represented for the special edification of 
Christmas-keeping holiday-makers, is vividly re- 
called to my mind. So inflammable is this extraneous 
substance attached to it on all sides, that a spark 
will almost ignite it, when it will burn with a fierce- 
ness and rapidity truly alarming, forming a pillar 
of fire from ground to summit of impetuous, leaping 
flames, devouring with hungry fury all that will sup- 
port their existence. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 213 

This tree, however, must not be confounded with 
the white-birch, no less graceful in its form and 
drooping tendrils, or with the paper-birch, so much 
sought after by the Indian, for from it not only 
are then canoes made, but table utensils and orna- 
ments. 

On returning towards the wigwams of my hosts, 
I saw two canoes racing up the bay, doubtless the 
hunters returning, who having noticed an unknown 
craft on the beach, are hurrying on, anxious to find 
what stranger the Manitoo has brought to their camp. 

The aged Indian is not a man to say much, still I 
doubt if his feelings of kindness and hospitality are 
less strong than those possessed by the empty-headed, 
but fulsome votary of fashion. I know if I had to 
choose whose word I should place the greatest faith 
in, my choice would not be flattering to those of 
my own colour. 

In civilised life I would have been expected to 
leave the wigwam and meet my future hosts on their 
way from the beach. In associating with Indians, any- 
thing like an attempt to curry favour with them is 
to be deprecated. Thus I sat down in the chiefs lodge, 
lit my pipe, and relapsed in a moody and thoughtful 
silence. Presently the owner entered, fixing his 
keen eyes upon me, grunted what was intended for a 



214 LONE LIFE : 

welcome, squatted upon his hams, and busied himself 
filling his pipe. Then ensued a long silence. 

" The white man is sick ?" inquired my host. 

"No, but he is sad," I responded, continuing, 
" The brother of my tribe, that came to your woods 
with me, is lost or dead ; have your [young men 
killed him?" 

Laying down his pipe, leaning towards me and 
steadfastly gazing in my face, with more of earnest- 
ness and less of vehemence in his manner, he said : 
"The children of my tribe kill now only cariboo 
and moose. Your brother is alive, but in a new 
hunting-ground away six days' journey, where the 
pale-face squaw dwells. I know no more." 

I did not suppose that Antoine had been killed^ 
but I thought it was necessary for our mutual safety 
to show an anxiety for the welfare of my com- 
panion, for they were doubtless aware that I had not 
communicated with or heard from him since his de- 
parture now nearly six weeks ago. 

After a long pause in which I said nothing, and 
in which the eyes of the Eed-man were firmly fixed 
on me, he said, u You are welcome." 

Then I handed him my pipe, which he took, re- 
turning the compliment by giving me his. Each 
then smoked, the silence only being broken by the 



A YEAR IN THE WILDEENESS. 215 

females entering with their lord's gun and traps, over 
the stowing away of which they spend an unnecessary 
length of time, doubtless their curiosity fabricating 
this flimsy means of excuse for prolonging their 
stay with hopes of gratifying their curiosity on the 
subject of our conversation. Thus the entente cordiale 
was thoroughly established, and although little was 
spoken the greatest good feeling prevailed. 



216 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTER XV. 

This old chief was as fine a specimen of the 
Indian as I ever met; although not over ordinary 
height, he was graceful, and remarkably symmetrically 
formed. In age, I should imagine, close on sixty, 
still upright in carriage as a wand. He also pos- 
sessed a most searching eye, and one that never for 
an instant quailed under the look of the person he 
conversed with. This is unusual with the Red-man ; 
seldom can he look you straight in the face, and too 
frequently his manner before white men implies 
inferiority. 

From my host I learned that his had been once a 
powerful tribe, but from small-pox (the scourge of 
all the aboriginal population) getting introduced 
among them, their numbers had become decimated, 
till only thirty-four members remained. " It was 
the fire-water brought among us by the voyageur that 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 217 

offended the great Manitoo," lie exclaimed. This 
doubtless had been told him by the Roman Catholic 
or Wesleyan missionaries, who have done zealous 
and earnest work in neighbouring localities. And the 
means being justified by the result, no one will blam 
these earnest good men for making use of such a 
subterfuge. 

To the Indian, whisky implies ruin, starvation, and 
death, therefore any means, I say, are justifiable to 
prevent their using it. Is not this craving for ardent 
spirits among a race who until within the last century 
knew of no liquid stronger than water, extraordinary ; 
every feeling seems to give way under its influence, and 
the most fearful example of its baneful results has 
no more power to detain them from indulging in it 
to excess, than if they were entirely destitute of the 
power of restraint. 

The principal purport of my visit was soon ex- 
plained, viz., obtaining one of the young men to 
accompany me on my proposed tramp to the barren 
grounds. The old chief in a regretful tone of voice 
said, that but for his age he would go with me 
himself, but " He now too old, too muchee old," and 
then silently sat and thought. 

In the mean time supper was brought in by his 
squaw and the younger women, who remained to 



218 LONE LIFE : 

participate in the feast — a stewed porcupine, and no 
mean delicacy I can vouch for, when properly 
cooked. At length quantum sufflcit, and the host and 
I ceased together, and both drew a sigh of relief, 
not a bad indication that we had had enough. After 
a yawn and a stretch, and a long but finally suc- 
cessful effort to light his pipe, the chief commenced : 

" I have been thinking, as I cannot go, and you 
want Indians to accompany you " — here the squaw, 
her step -daughter, and daughter ceased eating, and 
fixed their eyes intently upon the head of the family 
— " that you had better take my brother's son," con- 
tinued the chief ;" but he got no further, for here 
Saucy exclaimed, " I go !" Fatty-plumpy called out, 
"Me go!" and the old harridan, the female head of 
the house, in whom up to the present moment I had 
seen some points worthy of admiration, in shrill, 
high falsetto voice, backed up the proposition of both 
the girls. 

I am certain if any one could have seen me under 
the ordeal, they would have said that I looked sternly 
grand upon this occasion. If I did not, I felt so ; 
but my stateliness availed nothing in the womens 
eyes, for there ensued from their tongues a wrangle 
of high words, entirely conducted in Indian; but 
ignorant as I was of that language, I could frequently 
detect the mention of my name. 



A YEAE IN" THE WILDEENESS. 219 

Stately as the monarch on his throne I sat, pa- 
tiently waiting for the chief to reprove snch un- 
seemly conduct ; but relief did not come — taciturn 
he continued to remain. What conclusion but one 
could I under such circumstances come to, that the 
poor old fellow was hen-pecked; hen-pecked as 
severely as any city man by aristocratic wife, as any 
good-looking idle ne'er do anything for himself by 
the partner of his joys and sorrows, who has several 
thousands laid out at interest, and considerable ex- 
pectation looming in futurity. To escape civili- 
sation, match-making mothers, would-be married 
daughters, I had betaken myself to a life of solitude, 
and after all to find that the female bosom, though 
clothed in deer-skin, was actuated by the same im- 
pulses as those habited in silks and laces — was it not 
disappointing — fearfully disappointing ? 

From the head of the family I could not get an- 
other word that night, no, not a syllable ; but what the 
chief wanted in powers of speech, was amply made up 
by his better-half — his superior half, I should have 
said. Not the least amusing, well, annoying portion 
of the matter was, that 1, the by far most interested 
person, was not permitted an opportunity to get in a 
word, either in the way of objection or dissent, edge- 
wise or otherwise ; evidently it was considered that I 
had been put up at auction, bid for, knocked down, 



220 LONE life: 

and sold. One consolation I nevertheless noted, 
there was a split in the camp, and disunion often leads 
to destruction, thought I, chuckling, mind you in- 
ternally, for both the young ladies had the argument 
to themselves, which was conducted in the angriest 
tones, when the old squaw spoke, and after much 
earnestness, and a considerable amount of patience, 
pacified the belligerents. 

All this time the old chief was dumb ; the only 
evidence that he evinced of life was the puff, puff, 
puff of his fondly-loved pipe. And your humble 
servant followed suit, rivalling in his efforts the 
grandeur of the old Sachem. However, the aged 
Indian was not long left to himself, his wife, acting 
as spokesman for the daughters, harangued him, and 
he answered in the affirmative by a grunt. Then 
the old lady addressed her broken English to me. 
Courtesy forbade me not to listen; the purport of 
what she said was that her two daughters desired to 
appropriate me ; that Saucy was without a rival in 
paddling a canoe or making camp ; and Fatty-plumpy 
for packing home game, or making moccasins, was 
beyond all compeers, and that they both wished to 
become my squaws. At this speech, which I have 
much abbreviated, the old chief grunted a " humph " 
of assent, and the young women in question looked 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 221 

unutterable things at me, and defiantly at each 
other. 

At length I felt ready for sleep, so I rolled myself 
in my blanket and laid down ; however, the drowsy 
god forsook me after being in the land of dreams for 
an hour or two. The heat felt oppressive, and the 
mosquitoes hovered over me in clouds, when I awoke ; 
but I was not half refreshed, so craved for more repose. 
Giving a stretch, I rolled over on the other side, but 
came in contact with a reclining figure. Well, why 
not sleep with my face turned one way as well as 
another, thought I, so I tried to revert to my original 
position, but my outstretched arms came in contact 
with another human form. By degrees I was fully 
awake. I remembered the country I was in, and how 
in it customs prevailed widely different from those in 
the land of my birth ; and that the danger in these 
unknown forests, and among its inhabitants, were 
universally greater than could be encountered at 
home. So these noble confiding people, the chief 
and the sharer of his state, knowing this, had taken up 
their sleeping place on either side of me, the better 
to preserve your humble servant from all dangers 
while a guest in their humble dwelling. 

Very considerate, doubtless, I thought this, far 
more than your most devoted host would do for you 



222 LONE LIFE: 

in England. (Oh how selfish society over there has 
become of late years ; a man's value now-a-clays is 
reckoned by the length of his purse. Any snob can 
marry a pretty woman if the balance at his banker's 
will furnish her with an indefinite amount of gewgaws, 
&c, floated through my brain in the course of 
the subsequent half-hour.) However, it was time 
again to go to sleep, and doubtless I would have done 
so, but for those bloodthirsty pests, the mosquitoes, 
who kept singing and biting, biting and singing till 
I could stand it no longer. 

For a moment, nervously, I fumbled in my pockets 
for my match-box ; everything in rotation came to 
hand but what I wanted; at length I clasped the 
object of my search, and I looked forward with 
transport to blowing such a cloud as would make 
every one of these winged pests as sick as a bride of 
her marriage tour, such a one as prefers to be able to 
say that she spent her honeymoon abroad, so gets a 
taste of a thorough south-western gale crossing the 
Channel. By the sense of touch I loaded my pipe, then 
sat up and sharply drew the match over the rough edge 
of the box, there was a splutter, a blaze, and afterwards 
a doubtful moment whether the lucif er would burn up 
or not ; the hesitation decided the matter in my favour, 
and as I sucked into the bowl of my pipe the ruddy 
blaze I cast my eyes thoughtfully upon the recumbent 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEBNESS. 223 

figures on either side, for I had no desire to wake elderly 
people, knowing how important it is that they should 
have an uninterrupted night's rest. But is it possible, 
that on my left is no wrinkled face, that on the right 
no shrivelled-up arm. 

In my astonishment I nearly swallowed pipe, stem 
and all ; and might have shoved the match down my 
throat, for I extinguished it, and throwing myself back 
with a groan, stoically permitted the mosquitoes to 
drink, if they thought proper, my heart's blood. But 
all my fortitude could not school me long to treat 
these winged pests with indifference, so in anguish 
of spirit I groaned, and restlessly and unwillingly kept 
changing my position. 

At length a gentle voice asked me if I was ill. I 
answered not, when another repeated the same query. 
In an instant I pulled my blanket over my head 
and commenced to snore vociferously, as if I had 
never known any other state than somnolence. The 
result of this last stratagem was different from what 
I anticipated, for doubtless impressed with the belief 
that I wished to impart to them, simultaneously each 
of my flankers came closer to me ; the move might 
have been prompted by the philanthropic desire to 
leave less room for the mosquitoes to practice their 
leech-like proclivities upon me. I, however, in time 
slept, not soundly ; for I dreamed a dream, which, 



224 LONE LIFE : 

when I thought over in the morning, reminded me 
of what I had read of the temptations good St. 
Anthony had been submitted to. 

To say that I rose up refreshed would be stating 
an untruth ; my mind was distrait, my body demo- 
ralised, but the old cure served me good purpose. 
Don't imagine I am going to sound the praises of 
brandy and soda-water, for I don't believe in them, 
and if I did, they were not obtainable here ; but a 
plunge into the clear pellucid lake. 

During a stroll, afterwards, I found I had an 
appetite, so returned to the wigwam, having tried 
very hard, and almost satisfactorily, to conclude that 
the experiences of last night never occurred, but 
were the result of a highly-wrought imagination 
caused by a disordered stomach. My reception on 
joining the breakfast was cordial in the extreme ; 
nothing transpired to mar the harmony of the en- 
tertainment, so the clouds of future disagreeables 
which I had fabricated, floated away like mist before 
the sun. 

With the old chief as companion, after having fed 
till nature demanded no more, we sauntered out to 
smoke our morning pipe. My dogs were as usual at 
my heels, for now that I w y as among strangers, they 
never permitted me to be out of their sight for a 
moment. Indians are seldom, almost never loquacious, 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 225 

and this interview did not belie their character. 
Possibly we had been together a quarter of an hour, 
perhaps more, when a remarkably well-bred looking 
fox-hound came towards us. From the way he 
carried his head, I knew that he either was deaf, or 
suffered severely from canker in one of his ears. At 
this apparition I was surprised, immensely surprised, 
although I doubt if I could have been knocked down 
with a feather. Was such to be wondered at, for 
here was an animal that would have done credit, 
aye, possibly led the van in the best-bred pack in 
England ? In height the hound was about twenty- 
six inches at the shoulder, and his deep chest and 
strong couplings spoke of unusual strength and 
power. When approaching us, my dogs met him 
half-way, and if I dare judge from his manner, he 
recalled from their appearance memories of a long 
past life. No growl was on his lip, or churlishness 
denoted by his open honest face as the strangers 
advanced and welcomed him. Again and again, as 
if uncertain that this interview were possible, he 
inspected Skye and Poteen, and as often would 
stretch himself, scratching up the grass with his 
hind legs, and place his deep-flewed muzzle in the 
air and cause the woods to echo with his deep mellow 
voice. 

VOL I. Q 



226 LONE LIFE : 

At length the old hound came towards me. I held 
down my hand to caress him, but he withdrew his- 
head and sniffed around it for some minutes ; then 
he raised himself on his hind limbs, placed his paws 
upon my shoulder, and looking heavenward, gave 
expression to his feelings by many a deep and long- 
drawn note of pleasure. 

" That dog know you I " said the old chief. 

u No, but he knows my race," responded I ; " but 
where does he come from?" I inquired. 

And the old Indian told me ; it was a long story, but 
I will do my best to narrate it correctly. 

u Years ago there came here a white man. He was 
a great chief in his own country the voyageurs told 
me. With him were two dogs, that is one ; for two 
years he lived among us, and each day he spent in 
fishing and hunting ; day after day he went to the 
woods or water, and never returned without game. At 
length a bear killed one of his dogs and he was sad. 
Months afterwards passed on till summer came, when 
he bid us good-bye, and started across the lake, for 
he said he was going to the east, to the land of his 
fathers. In summer, when the waters are low, the 
most skilful Indian can with difficulty travel that 
route ; for the sharp jagged rocks are so close and near 
the surface that none but those who know the rapids 



A TEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 22? 

intimately can pass through them in safety. I feared 
for this white man ; I even proposed to go with him 
myself, or send one of the young men of the tribe, 
but his answer ever was, <I go alone.' The day 
he departed his canoe was out of sight before noon, 
and with its disappearance we ceased to think of him, 
not to forget him. Four days after his master had left, 
this dog returned to our camp, not where it is now, but 
away across that bay, and the poor creature was half- 
starved from want of food, and almost devoured by the 
flies. A dog will not leave his master while he lives, 
therefore I saw evil in this, so that night determined 
to find out if I had just grounds for my forebodings. 
They were too true ; we found the canoe with a hole 
in its side and bottom upwards against the rocks, 
near at hand the dead and disfigured body of our 
late visitor. On that point (pointing northward), 
under a hemlock, where the cariboo pass every 
spring and fall, he is buried." 

A few days afterwards one of the tribe found his 
gun. " I will fetch it for you to look at ;" and for a 
few moments I was left alone ; no, not alone, for my 
four-footed companions were with me, and the old 
hound, who looked steadfastly in my face, and to 
every word of petting or commendation I uttered 
bow-wowed a deep and solemn response. 
Q2 



228 LONE LIFE: 

The chief was not long absent ; on his return he 
placed in my hand a modern double-gun, and 
although it showed evidence of wear and neglect, 
the excellence of its workmanship could not be 
disputed. I glanced along the rib that separated the 
barrels at the breech; rust had as yet done little to 
obliterate the name of one of the most fashionable 
West-end makers of twenty-five years ago. 

But who was this stranger? would it ever be 
known ? Whether or not, of one thing I felt cer- 
tain, that he was a man of good birth and fair 
means, or how would he have possessed a pair of 
hounds that the Beaufort pack might have been proud 
of, a gun from the hands of a maker that Eoyalty 
would have patronised ! 

Looking across intently at that distant point I 
could distinguish a hemlock, faintly it is true, still 
my eye is too conversant with the foliage of trees to 
make a mistake ; and beneath its sombre plumage rests 
.one for whom many a fair acre and an ancestral hall 
possibly was intended as an heritage. Does no mother 
pine for the wanderer's return ? or has watching and 
hope deferred laid her in an early grave ? I look 
down and the old hound's eye catches mine, and 
again he sounds a deep and sad note, truly a fitting 
requiem to my thoughts. Skye and Poteen, jealous 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 229' 

by nature to an extreme, took no dislike to their 
fellow-countryman, and the old creature would not 
leave me for a moment ; his attachment was painful, 
for his blear eyes remained ever fixed on me, as if to 
lose me from his sight was to lose all that bound 
him to life, could instinct have told him to the land 
of his birth. 

Later on in the day I found the chiefs nephew ; he 
was an active, clean-built youth of three or f our-and- 
twenty. To him I stated in as concise a manner as 
possible my future movements, and my desire for his 
companionship. Like all Indians, till there was a 
grand pow-wow over the subject, he would promise 
nothing, so another day was lost. On the morrow, 
however, I became impatient, and vowed I should go 
with Sugar as my sole companion, if he had not 
made up his mind by sunrise next morning. That 
night his services were tendered and accepted ; and 1 
was more than satisfied, for I believed I had obtained 
a guide in whom I could repose every confidence, 
and who would stand to me through every danger as 
long as he possessed life. 

The ways of the Chinese are pronounced to be 
strange by a popular modern writer ; the same con- 
clusion I have long come to about the Indians, so 
commenced to believe that the lively interest taken 



230 LONE LIFE: 

in me by the daughters of the heads of the establish- 
ment was only an indication of the value the chief 
placed upon the friendship of the white stranger, and 
their choice of resting-place immediately in my 
yicinity on the last night, instead of reposing as far 
as possible from who might have been the gayest of 
Xiotharios, caused me scarcely more than a momentary 
thought. Moreover, it takes two to make love, and 
as I had not evinced the slightest disposition for 
*even flirtation, I felt that really there were no grounds 
for alarm. However, I had reckoned wrongly, as the 
sequel will show. 

About sunrise I was on the beach ready for de- 
parture. The baggage, much augmented in quantity, 
lay ready for shipment, but my canoe had disap- 
peared. Wondering what could have become of it, 
I was awoke from my reverie by a much larger craft 
being carried out of the brush and launched, and 
before I could interfere, the luggage was quickly 
placed on board, each of the young squaws, paddle 
in hand, taking a position in it. In a moment I saw 
a deep trap had been laid for me, and that it would 
require some finesse' and much decision of character 
not to fall into it. 

Drawing myself up I inquired wdiat had become 
of my canoe. A Babel of tongues answered that it 



A YEAE IN THE WTLDEENESS. 231 

was too small. To this statement I politely but 
firmly differed; but the clamour of half a dozen 
voices drowned my words. Order and silence being 
restored, I counted on my fingers to the old chief 
the number of my party, and appealed to his judg- 
ment for support. Doubtless he would have done so, 
but the high falsetto voice of his wife drowned the old 
man's words ere they got utterance ; " And him, and 
him," the harridan exclaimed over and over again, 
pointing to the two girls, who each time echoed her 
words with, (i And me, and me," pointing at the same 
time with the forefinger of their right hand towards 
their charming selves. 

This could not be. I had no food, no accommoda- 
tion for such an increase to my party, and therefore 
I must decline the pleasure of their company. But 
the old squaw, old woman like, again put in her oar, 
and addressing herself to me, said, " But him your 
squaw, and him your squaw," pointing out the young 
ladies in succession, and continued this chant for 
several minutes, her gestures and voice becoming 
momentarily louder. 

At length I could stand it no longer, so insisted 
that my canoe should be produced. After this there 
was a pause, and I really commenced to fear that I 
was trapped, when the old chief recovered his self- 



232 LONE LIFE: 

possession, ultimately ordering two of the outside spec- 
tators, who I must say all along appeared immensely 
tickled at the whole proceeding, to fetch my canoe 
from the brush where it had doubtless been secreted 
by orders of my would-be mother-in-law, and my 
would-be wives. To pick out from among the bag- 
gage in the larger craft what belonged to me was 
only the work of a few moments; in a second or 
two afterwards we were all afloat and some yards 
intervening between the shore, when a thought 
struck me that it would be better to endeavour to 
say a few parting words that would pacify my late 
hospitable friends. So I addressed them and stated 
that my refusal of the honour that had been offered 
me, was not from a depreciation of the beauty and 
attractiveness of the good old chief's daughters, very 
far from it, for Saucy rivalled the fawn in grace and 
Fatty-plumpy the swan in rounded contour of form, 
that how happy could any man be with either, and su- 
premely blessed with both, but to accept so much hap- 
piness required consideration, which I would give it 
during my absence. This excuse evidently was not 
considered in a favourable light, for both mother and 
daughters turned upon the old chief, whose raised voice 
now indicated that he had already borne as much as 
human nature could or would submit to. As the light 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 233 

buoyant craft swiftly glided from the shore, I heard a 
long deep howl ; it was the poor old hound whom 
the Indians were dragging from the water, which 
he had entered obviously with the intention of 
swimming after me. 

Once clear of the headlands, as the breeze was 
fair, a blanket was set to officiate as sail, and we 
bowled along right merrily over the sparkling w r aters 
while I paid out a heavily shotted spoon-bait with 
the hope of catching some of the great lake trout 
which abound in all these inland waters. After being 
over an hour unsuccessful as we skirted the sombre 
sides of a heavily timbered island, I had a run 
and soon after landed a fish of near twenty pounds 
weight. 

From its size I might have expected a fierce and 
protracted struggle, but these lake dwellers possess 
none of the game qualities of the inhabitants of the 
rivers and brooks ; they are very dark in colour with 
large heads, and although no doubt for an instant 
can arise that they do not belong to the Salmonidce 
family, still they are not possessed of the graceful 
lines and contour of the other representatives of 
the race. 

While near land, although the water had every 
appearance of great depth, my spoon-bait was scarcely 



234 LONE LIFE: 

overboard a few minutes before I hooked a fish, and 
as none got away and the hook was deeply fastened 
in the gullet of each capture, I am inclined to be- 
lieve that they are most greedy feeders. 

In my younger days I lived for some time on the 
banks of Lough Neagh, in the North of Ireland ; fre- 
quently I have seen the fishermen there take in their 
draught-nets a large lake trout which they called doli- 
chan and buddoch ; the resemblance between these 
fish and those of this distant lake in north-west 
territory was very striking. Those in Ireland go up 
the rivers in autumn to spawn, whether their Ameri- 
can congeners have the same habit I was unable to 
learn. 

Carrying sail upon a canoe is so dangerous, except 
when its management be entirely trusted to Indians, 
that I would advise no white man to attempt it, unless 
he be brought up in the backwoods, and accustomed to 
the management of these crafts from his infancy, 
for the very slightest mistake will turn them over. 
At first when the blanket was set I acknowledge to 
having felt nervous, but soon that feeling was dis- 
pelled, for any one at a glance could see that my new 
attendant was most skilful in handling his tottleish 
bark. 

Skirting for miles a low weedy shore, just such a 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 235 

place as the angler at home would expect to find 
pike, we doubled a rocky headland, and disembarked 
at the mouth of a clear pebbly-bottomed stream which 
entered the lake in a glorious rapid. Time was pre- 
cious, as we were anxious to tramp ten miles before 
dark, or nothing would have pleased me better than 
to have tried how the thousands of trout rising on 
every side would take the artificial fly. 

Secreting our canoe in a dark thicket of dwarf 
cedar, shouldering our respective packs and starting 
in Indian file over an undefined trail, took few more 
minutes than required to narrate it, and before we 
had gone over a quarter of a mile, we had entered 
as dark and gloomy a piece of woodland I ever re- 
member to have traversed. 



236 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTEE XVI. 

My new attendant I called Cariboo (not because 
that was his name, but had some resemblance to it), 
for the Indian languages have a peculiar guttural in- 
tonation in nearly every syllable, that even if you 
remember a word it is next to impossible to pronounce 
it correctly. 

Our line of march was in the following order. 
Cariboo in front, succeeded by Sugar, myself bring- 
ing up the rear. The heaviest load was carried by 
the leader. About fifty pounds it must have weighed, 
not including my spare gun and some loose ammuni- 
tion. My own pack was about thirty-five pounds, 
while Sugar's was somewhat less. 

From the spongy nature of the soil our progress 
at first was very slow, not even a mile an hour, but 
as we commenced to ascend to more elevated ground, 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 237 

the trees and brush becoming less dense and the 
footing better, the pace considerably increased. 

I can carry a gun from night till morning and feel 
very trifling fatigue result ; but the moment I mount 
a pack, all energy and strength seem to desert me. 
I believe most thoroughly that Cariboo would have 
no more difficulty in carrying a hundred-weight than 
I would my present load. The Indians are really 
extraordinary fellows at such a task, and the rapidity 
that they get over the ground when performing it, 
always providing the walking is good, cannot fail to 
evoke the admiration of all observers. 

From cedar and hemlock swamp we got into forests 
of deciduous timber, here and there mixed with pine ; 
hare-runs were numerous in every direction, and the 
dogs kept incessantly flushing spruce-grouse. If it 
had not been for the flies, which were very trouble- 
some, and the severe tax upon our strength imposed 
by our loads, this walk would have been most enjoyable 
after we left the lowlands ; but long before I reached 
our halting-place I felt thoroughly knocked up, pride, 
and the injury that might ensue from setting so bad 
an example, alone preventing me from giving in. 

At length — and I don't think I ever uttered " thank 
God" with more fervency for anything — we came to 
a small opening, with numerous lodge-poles stand- 



238 LONE LIFE : 

ing in it. Here Cariboo stopped, and without the 
slightest evidence of impatience or desire for release, 
quietly deposited his load. I fear I did not follow 
the example set me with the same patience and 
method ; but, oh ! thanks for the relief I got when 
released from its pressure. 

A prettier spot for a hunter's camp would be difficult 
to find. From a brook about twenty yards wide, bound- 
ing over a rock and gravel bottom, rose an abrupt 
slope, the summit of which was flat and covered with 
the closest carpeting of moss and grass. In front, 
and on either flank, stretched a fine forest of deci- 
duous and coniferous timber now in all the glory of 
summer foliage. 

My companions, after an absence of a few minutes, 
returned with loads of birch-bark, so blackened with 
smoke that they had evidently done duty frequently 
before, and with them soon constructed a capital 
wigwam. The frying-pan was shortly after brought 
into play, so that ere darkness set in, there was 
every prospect of passing a most comfortable night. 

The morning broke bright and clear, not a cloud 
upon the sky, not a fleece of mist upon the earth, 
and far-off ridges, with their fringe of glorious pines, 
stood forth in clearness of outline, so that the 
stranger only accustomed to other climes, would have 



A TEAB IN THE WILDERNESS. 239 

imagined them half the distance from us that they 
were. And the perfect silence that reigned around • 
was not even broken by the sough of the wind. 

" Beautiful ! charming ! lovely !" I exclaimed . 
Confound those flies though ; in my absence of 
mind the pests had taken advantage of me, and ruth- 
lessly awoke me from my reverie. 

The heavy tramp through the swamp, and the 
climb up the steep ascent yesterday, had made me 
more than desirous for a dip in the murmuring 
brook at our feet ; but how to accomplish it I knew 
not, for to defend my face and hands, let alone my 
whole body, from mosquitoes and black-flies, was a 
task I was certain most imperfectly to perform ; but 
I felt dirty, clammy, and craved for the invigorating 
pleasure of lolling at length in one of the shallow 
rapids. The more I considered the risk, the less could 
I restrain my hankering, so I resolved to chance it. 
To undress and tumble into the water was not 
difficult, sed revocare gradiis, that was the hitch, for 
wet or only partially dry drawers, or even trousers, 
are apt to have a will of their own and resist being 
rapidly jumped into. Therefore I summoned Sugar 
and directed him to cut a cedar branch with which 
to thrash the scoundrels off while I got into the first 
coating of my apparel. 



240 LONE LIFE : 

" Are you ready, boy f I exclaimed, when I saw 
him standing on the bank with the bough in his hand. 

" Yes, Capen," he exclaimed, and I made one 
rush for him. 

Vigorously he applied the whisk ; with celerity I 
struggled to get into my unmentionables, and as ever 
found the old adage verified, " the greater haste, the 
worse speed," when the lad ceased suddenly in his 
efforts, for the little vixen Skye, supposing no doubt 
he was beating me, seized him by the hand. In an 
instant I turned round ; the dog was about to renew 
the contest with total disregard for my voice, so I 
made a rush at him, and ludicrous to listen to, very 
painful to go through, I got a fearful cropper, for 
know, oh reader, that I had only succeeded in getting 
one leg home in my lower garment. To pick myself 
up, rush to my clothes and get into them, was only 
the work of a few minutes ; but I deserved to be pitied, 
a hundred black-flies, and as many more mosquitoes, 
were already devouring me with all the assiduity of 
creatures who never before had known what it was to 
have a good square meal. 

Fortunately, the lad was not much injured by the 
dog's teeth ; still prevention is better than cure, so I 
made him suck the wound till I could obtain my 
stick of caustic (a thing that no one should knock 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 241 

about the bush without), when I cauterised the wound,, 
and further explained so satisfactorily the cause of 
the dog's assault, that both the biter and the bitten 
were in ten minutes as good friends as ever. 

Our tramp next day was very pleasant, rolling' 
high grounds covered with birch being the prepon- 
derating feature. By noon we had made such good 
progress that we considered we had earned a halt of 
a couple of hours. While taking a stroll around to 
look for spruce-grouse, I came across a noble speci- 
men of the great horned-owl. This bird must not be 
confused with the eagle, Canadian, or horned-owl, for 
it is a much larger, more powerful, and a far handsomer 
plumaged bird ; in fact it is to American Strigidce 
what the eagle is to Falconidice. It also does not 
appear to suffer from the effects of daylight, for 
when flushed it took wing with as much confidence 
as any diurnal bird, alighting afterwards upon a 
distant tree without the slightest awkwardness. To 
find them among hardwood timber during the day, 
I believe to be rare ; for heretofore I have only seen 
them in the densest cover of spruce and hemlock ; 
but on mentioning the subject to Cariboo, he in- 
formed me that in these sequestered districts the birch 
openings appeared to be their favourite resort. 

Before starting Sugar joined us with what the 
VOL. I. R 



:242 LONE LIFE: 

Americans would call u a fine mess of trout." He 
had captured them all with a piece of red cloth tied 
over the shank of his hook, his rod and tackle being 
a, sapling and a piece of cord. I do not think I ever 
saw fish with more resplendent colours, their backs 
being of the deepest marbled green, flanks like bur- 
nished copper, gradually running into straw-colour 
along the stomach, while their sides were covered 
with the most brilliant of vermilion and ochre 
spots. 

By a couple of hours before sunset I should deem 
that we had made near upon twenty miles, so a halt 
was called in order that due time could be allowed 
for getting the camp in order before night set in. 
During the latter portion of the day cariboo tracks 
existed in every direction, but not one was to be 
seen. My elder associate noticed me observing them, 
and said : 

" By-and-bye, two three day, you find plenty." 
Our encampment this evening was no less to be 
admired than that of last night, for behind us rose 
some rather elevated and precipitous ridges clothed 
to their summit with magnificent pines, while beneath 
lay a lake, not over a mile in length, with a solitary 
wooded island in its centre. In Scotland it would 
have been called a tarn ; with this word I somehow 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 243 

associate supernatural beings, and few places I have 
■ever seen were more likely to conjure up ideas 
in the mind of the believer in the mystic world than 
this lonely sheet of water. 

Little of the sun's rays ever glinted off its bosom, 
for the land rose high around its placid surface, and 
the giant evergreens towered their heads towards 
heaven from the most elevated crests. An hour 
after the sun had disappeared a thread-sized crescent 
moon showed itself in the clear firmament above the 
feathery tree tops, and as the mosquitoes were less 
abundant, probably from the elevation of our posi- 
tion, I took my evening pipe out-doors. Oh, what a 
-wonderful stillness reigned around; even the toad 
and green-headed frog had grown ashamed of dis- 
turbing the solitude, and the Canadian owl had de- 
sisted from uttering its maniac laugh. 

Home and friends, companions in arms, some of 
whom had long gone to their resting-place, arose in 
vision before me. Crimean life, Indian plains, and 
Chinese joss-houses, passed before the retina of my 
brain, as if all composed one gigantic panorama. 
Then London with its innumerable gaslights, its 
busy thoroughfares, and brilliantly lit places of 
amusement, occupied my thoughts. My pipe had 
long gone out ; feeling chilly from the night air, 1 
k2 



244 LONE LIFE: 

was about to make a move for my rug and camp-fire 7 
when a yell as sudden as it was diabolical, rose, was. 
re-echoed, and died away. My blood for a moment 
ran chill ; but before I had further time for action,, 
the same notes arose from another point ; and my 
dogs, who were crouching at my feet, rose as if by 
mutual arrangement, so simultaneous was their 
action, and elevating their heads, howled most dis- 
mally. Well I knew what produced such doleful 
notes, still never do I hear them without a shudder. 
The strong-minded reader will say how childish ; if 
he has experienced this wild yell in a suitable situa- 
tion, I would submit to his opinion without cavil; 
but as I deem such to be improbable, I confess my 
weakness, for after all it was only the voice of the 
lucifee or bay lynx. 

For three days we passed onwards, our path where 
possible being by compass due north, and one day 
was but a resume of the other; our tramp from 
breaking up camp in the morning to pitching at night, 
seldom exceeding twelve or thirteen miles. 

As Cariboo asserted, we saw his namesakes on the 
third afternoon ; there were more than a dozen to- 
gether, all more or less immersed in water on the 
margin of a flat-shored lake. 

I did not see them till pointed out, and as fresh 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 245 

meat was desirable, after tying up the dogs with in- 
struction to release them if I waved [my gun over 
my head, I resolved to make a stalk. 

At starting I thought my undertaking easy enough, 
but soon found I had calculated without my host ; 
for I discovered, when within three hundred yards 
•of the quarry, that if I persisted in my approach 
from where I was, that I must cross a bare piece 
of smooth stony ground, almost a hundred yards in 
diameter. 

So I drew back and made a detour, bettering 
myself, if possible, as regards winds, and recom- 
menced an advance. Still it was not all easy sailing, 
for I was obliged to crawl along a dry crack little 
larger than a furrow that was laced and interlaced 
*with the most affectionate briers I ever remember to 
have come in contact with. Though not the " wait-a- 
bits" of South Africa, they certainly would do no 
discredit to that distant part of the w T orld. However, 
patience and a determination not to hurry, enabled 
me to overcome their embraces without losing temper. 
Inequalities in the ground, if trifling, are not obser- 
vable from a distance; thus quite ignorant of the 
fortune in store for me I found that I could approach 
within fifty yards of the cariboo without more incon- 
venience than bending my shoulders. At length I 



246 LONE LIFE: 

reached the brow that intervened between me and 
the game; something, I could not imagine that it 
was my approach, had alarmed them, and they were 
hastily leaving the water. 

The nearest animal to me was a fine well-fed doe. 
On her flank I took aim; with the report she staggered, 
spun round and fell ; in a moment after recovered 
her feet, and with hollow back, raised head, and pro- 
truding tongue, endeavoured to follow her comrades,, 
who, by this time, were scouring away in the distance. 
I raised my gun and waved it for Poteen to be 
released ; the movement disclosed to the wounded 
deer my position, which caused her to renew her 
efforts to escape, and so successful were they that I 
deemed it better to give her another shot. The thud 
that reached my ears told that the bullet had not 
been fruitlessly expended ; and from the aim I had 
taken I believed that the ball had lodged within a 
few inches of its predecessor, still no indication was 
evinced by the stricken creature of its having any 
effect. But Poteen passes me with a rush, nor stops 
to inquire what is expected of him, but with the 
sagacity of his colley blood he sees and comprehends 
the whole affair, and is in a few moments baying the 
unfortunate cariboo. Having loaded I was approach- 
ing to deliver the coup-de-grace, when Skye, going 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 247" 

at his most rapid pace, which, at the best of times, was 
of no great shakes, rushed by me, to assist his com- 
rade. Bullied in front and rear, having to spring 
round first to face one aggressor then another, did its 
work, and the death-stricken creature fell to the earth 
exhausted. 

The fresh meat was most acceptable, and a jolly 
feed of tit-bits ensued, the gormandising being kept 
up by the Indians far on into the wee small hours. 
The amount of animal food Indians can eat, and. 
where they manage to stow it, is really surprising^ 
Even that atom of a Eed-man, Sugar, consumed. 
more than half a dozen Yorkshire ploughman could 
eat for a wager. The result was as might be expected,,, 
our start on the morrow was not effected till late r 
and our progress during the remainder of the day 
was slow and laboured. 

That evening our camp was neither picturesque nor 
comfortable, the only thing that could recommend 
the position being the vicinity of an excellent spring 
of water. The flies, however, were exceedingly trou- 
blesome, and the dogs unusually restless. 

About an hour before dawn we had a perfect sere- 
nade of wolves, bass-voiced, powerful-lunged fellows^ 
who from their propinquity appeared inclined to ob- 
ject to our invasion of their demesne. 



248 LONE LIFE: 

" Plenty cariboo to-morrow," said Cariboo. 

"Why?" I inquired. 

"Because wolf plenty; no cariboo, no wolf," he 
answered. 

Such was the case, for plenty of deer were seen, 
some still with their antlers in the moss, others 
with its dishevelled shreds hanging to them like 
pieces of scant black ribbon. Not requiring meat I 
did not attempt a stalk, but feel convinced I could 
have successfully done so if desirous. Several wolves 
were seen during the day, and at such distances to 
have probably afforded successful shots, but car- 
rying a load on one's back sadly demoralises the 
shooter. So I let these bloodthirsty scoundrels go 
their way, trusting that we might meet on a future 
day when 1 had ceased to be a beast of burden. 

So exposed was our camp that evening that not 
even the hum of a mosquito was heard, and the heat 
of the camp-fire was most acceptable. Consequently 
I enjoyed the best night's rest I had had for weeks. 
To all appearances we have reached the highest eleva- 
tion southward of the great river, which, judging 
from what the Indians say, and the computed dis- 
tance we have travelled, cannot be over sixty or 
seventy miles off. Nothing but dwarf timber and 
tangled brush cover these barriers; but attractive 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 249 

as they are now, I can imagine them literally a 
howling wilderness in winter. The first ptarmigan 
we have come across I killed to-day; they were so nu- 
merous that I bagged seven in an hour, and although 
tempted to continue the slaughter by the most pro- 
vokingly enticing shots, I desisted. 

Cariboo were also still plentiful, several herds being 
seen in the course of our morning march. During 
our mid-day halt our guide killed a very large wolf — 
not an old effete scoundrel, but in the fullest vigour 
of life, and his hide, which of course so early in the 
season had not obtained the long growth of hair 
ultimately destined to cover it, was almost chestnut, 
and as soft as the pelt of a beaver. On inquiring 
the particulars of how he had got within sufficient 
distance to knock his quarry over, he informed me 
that he had found a dead fawn, only killed a few 
hours. Knowing that the slayers were not far dis- 
tant he left the vicinity, but when out of sight made 
a stalk back to the place up wind, and thus got a 
shot. 

Made an excellent march this afternoon, and long 
before sundown came to a long-used but most charm- 
ing camping ground on the margin of quite a large 
river. White men have been here lately, for I found 
a broken clay pipe lying among the wood ashes, the 



250 lone life: 

edges of the fracture which split the bowl being so 
fresh, that the accident to it appeared to have hap- 
pened only a few hours. Showing it to Sugar, he 
immediately exclaimed, " Voyageur !" and so possibly 
it was, going to some distant trading ground of the 
Hudson Bay Company. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 251 



CHAPTER XVII. 

We had scarcely got things in order for the nighty 
and every prospect existed that we should enjoy un- 
interrupted rest, than there was a tremendous row 
among the dogs. Cariboo rushed off through the 
darkness in the direction of the contest, followed by 
Sugar. Phlegmatically I smoked on, for well I knew 
that, whatever they had got hold of, they were able 
to master, or ere this I should have heard them sing 
out, so contented myself and gulped down my impa- 
tience till my escort returned and made a report. 
Phew ! my goodness ! confound it ! Such a smelt 
once felt is never forgotten — no need the Indians 
telling me what they have got a hold of. I certainly 
said, " Confound the skunk," or possibly used a 
stronger expression, for the whole atmosphere was 
redolent with the fetid stench ; and when I com- 
menced to think of Skye covered with the beastly 



252 LONE LIFE: 

secretion, cuddling up to my side if the night got 
cold, oh, horrible ! the thought almost made me ill 
in imagination. 

Presently Indians and dogs returned. To say 
whether my two or four-footed friends smelt the 
strongest, would be a difficult matter. This I will 
say, that the dogs apparently had the most sensitive 
stomachs, for each got sick, and the Indians 
did not. 

For many an hour after this episode, I lay and 
tossed about. Oh, how I wooed Somnus, but he would 
not be propitiated, although I smoked, smoked, smoked, 
till I felt convinced forty-eight hours' supply of 
tobacco had been consumed in a tenth of that time, 
and the roof of my mouth and upper portion of my 
tongue were parched as dry as a board, and im- 
parted a flavour to my palate anything but aromatic. 
What was I to do ? I had brought half a gallon of 
spirits with me, only to be used for medicinal purposes. 
I maturely considered the symptoms. I was an 
invalid, and no person in their proper senses could 
doubt it. So I quietly reached for my pack. Of course, 
I did not wish to be so selfish as to disturb others, 
and I took what a friend of mine would call a 
corker ; I did not lay awake long after that dose of 
medicine. The next morning the camp remained so 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 253 

redolent of skunk that I ate skunk, I drank skunk, and 
I breathed skunk. That fearful fetid, overpowering 
smell, and the repulsiveness of its odour, how can I 
describe it I This mishap was likely to interfere sadly 
with the pleasure of my future movements, for well 
I knew that it would take weeks to get rid of it, 
especially from the coats of the dogs, whom I was 
compelled for their safety ever to have in our en- 
campment. 

1 cannot understand the perversity of members of 
the canine race. No amount of whipping will pre- 
vent them chasing and worrying the porcupine when 
opportunity offers ; the same with the skunk, although 
they invariably become deadly sick for some hours 
afterwards. I acknowledge that the latter animal's 
cool effrontery is fearfully provoking, and I should 
imagine trying to the temper of a high couraged dog, 
for they have the most wonderful amount of assur- 
ance, walking into camp, or even wigwam, as if the 
place belonged to them, confident that they have 
but to open their battery to cause all to flee who are 
in the vicinity. As far as I am concerned they judge 
correctly, for I would sooner leave them my dinner, I 
believe even my pipe and tobacco-pouch, and that 
is saying a good deal, than for an instant dispute 
with them their right to possession. All the wild 



254 LONE LIFE: 

animals treat them with the greatest courtesy, or else 
the creatures would be far more wary in their ways, 
for so indifferent to danger do they trot about the 
vicinity of their den, that if it were not so, it would 
require but a short time to extirpate the race. 

Although I had determined to remain in this 
neighbourhood for some days, it did not prevent 
our commencing a flitting at an early hour to an- 
other site recommended by Cariboo, about half a 
mile down the river. The day, which had a close 
sultry feeling, promised rain, for the heavens were 
overcast with the darkest rolling clouds, while the 
wind soughed among the trees that skirted the 
river banks. It was a sad day, one of those that 
affect and depress the spirits, causing forebodings 
of evil constantly to arise. Our new halting-place 
was upon a peninsula, almost an island, projecting 
into a bend of the river, densely wooded on all 
sides, the centre for about the space of half an acre 
being perfectly bare, and so devoid of stumps that 
doubtless many years had passed since the axe had 
cleared it, for this clearing was evidently artificial. 
This conclusion I come to from pine being the pre- 
ponderating growth of timber left, and pine stumps 
at the least calculation take a quarter of a century to 
decay. To this picturesque, retired opening in the 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 255 

primeval forest, quite a history was attached, for 
Cariboo informed me that here for years, so many 
years back that the eldest of his tribe ceased to re- 
member, came the missionaries to tell the Eed-man 
what was good and bad medicine. I inquired from 
him what missionaries ; evidently he misunderstood 
my question, but in response picked up a piece of birch- 
bark, and gazing fixedly upon it pretended to read, 
.all the time declaiming with his hands. But this 
was not the information required; I wanted to ex- 
plain to him the difference between the servant of 
the Church of Eome and Protestantism, and how to 
do it puzzled me completely. However, the Indian 
is wonderfully keen in his perception, and with a 
sudden bright radiation of countenance said, " Two 
missionary, one got squaw, one no have squaw, and 
do so," crossing himself in the most orthodox manner ; 
*' the last kind, him come here." This left no doubt 
on my mind that I stood upon one of those places that 
the Jesuits used to visit annually to preach the Gospel 
to the heathen at the time Canada was a possession 
of France. What an impressive sight it must have 
been, more than a hundred years ago, when this land 
supported a comparatively large Indian population, 
for it was before small-pox had made its decimating 
inroad among the Eed-men, to have seen a venerable 



256 LONE life: 

father, so sincere in the faith he preached, as to 
travel thousands and thousands of miles to proclaim 
it to the heathen, holding forth to crowds of painted 
warlike savages, grouped in astonished, inquiring, 
picturesque crowds, under the dark shadows of the 
sombre coniferous trees. When our gallant troops 
under brave General Woolf were struggling hand 
to hand and foot to foot with their no less gallant 
foes on the plains of Abraham, when the noble 
Mountcalm and his chivalrous and successful anta- 
gonist were sighing out their life's blood within sight 
of the citadel of the New World, possibly as great 
a battle was being fought here, against the supersti- 
tion and idolatry of the aborigines. The life of 
the missionary, whatever be his creed, is a hard one, 
and every honour is due to the sincere man who 
forsakes home, country, and relatives to perform the 
task to which he has devoted himself. 

Before noon our camp was made, and the threaten- 
ing state of the weather induced my attendants to 
pay more than ordinary attention to its construction. 
It was well they did so, for about two in the after- 
noon heavy drops of rain commenced to fall, rapidly 
increasing in number and violence. The breeze, 
which for some time had been hushed, in spasmodic 
gusts now swayed the tree-tops. Suddenly the hea- 
vens appeared to fall upon the earth, and down de- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 257 

scended the torrents and the wind tore over the 
landscape, as if from its previous imprisonment it 
had gained fresh fury. It was the white-squall of 
the ocean in its most violent form transferred to 
land. As I sought shelter from the raging elements, 
a flash of forked lightning lit up, then left in almost 
utter darkness the surrounding objects, followed by 
thunder so terrifically loud as almost to stun the 
listener. The sublime grandeur awed me; the Indians 
hid their heads and remained silent, while the dogs 
cowered away as if imbued with some all-powerful 
fear. At intervals of a few minutes again and again 
the thunder and lightning contended for mastery, 
each striving to outdo the other in violence, while the 
surface of the earth seethed with the impetuous 
downfall of rain as the surface of a boiling caldron. 

Fortunately my waterproofs were at hand, for 
nothing in the shape of edifice but such composed of 
stone or bricks and mortar could keep out such a 
waterspout. But all things have an end, and storms, 
like tempers, last in proportion to their violence. 

By six o'clock the clouds had broken and were 
drifting to leeward before a balmy breeze, and the 
whole earth emitted a fragrance, as if offering in- 
cense to the Creator for having prevented its destruc- 
tion by the warring elements. 

VOL. i. s 



258 LONE LIFE: 

As soon as the rain had ceased I found my way to 
the edge of the river. By a deep rapid that rushed 
Into a dark placid pool, I took a seat upon a ledge of 
rock. The discolouration of the water from the 
storm was trifling, and the fish, happy possibly in 
the anticipation of a glut of food being brought 
down from the upper tributaries of the stream, 
sprang from their liquid haunts in very wantonness 
of spirits. 

The temptation I could stand no longer, so hastened 
for my rod. The time lost in putting it together I even 
regretted. At length it was ready for use, and the first 
cast hooked a fine fish. A second equally large was 
also landed ; but the finest river trout that I have 
•ever previously killed, weighing eleven or twelve 
pounds, was my third victim. When the sun 
dipped the horizon, I had such a load as I should be 
sorry to have been compelled to carry to a distant 
camp. 

A strange peculiarity of the trout of these northern 
rivers is, that they cease to feed the moment twilight 
commences. Although possessing much experience 
of Scotch rivers I do not remember that such is the 
case ; but I know that on the streams of Long 
Island and the South of Ireland, in the long calm 
nights of midsummer, I have taken fish in greater 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 259 

quantities from sunset to break of day than in any 
other portion of the twenty-four hours. Many 
may disbelieve this statement; for the sake of prov- 
ing the truth of what I state, let the fisherman in 
June find his way to the River Bride, in the county of 
Cork, let him commence work at Rathcormack about 
ten in the morning, and use throughout the day all the 
skill and knowledge he possesses, and I will pledge 
myself that he will kill a greater weight of fish in 
the first hour after sunset, than he does throughout 
the time the sun is above the horizon. Wanderer 
and sojourner in foreign lands as I have been, still 
can I not recall a more lovely river to fish than 
the rapid murmuring Bride of the Green Isle of the 
ocean. 

The more severe the summer storm, the more 
invigorating the atmosphere appears after it has 
passed away; long and late I sat that night inhaling 
its fresh balminess. The w T oods were no longer silent, 
the depression that for a few nights previously over- 
powered all animal life was removed, and every 
rock, log, and tree seemed to find a voice. 

Even the diminutive chain-mouse, that I had not 
heard since I sojourned on the banks of the distant 
Saskatchewan, claimed my attention, with its strange 
metallic note, so strange, indeed, that listening to it 

s2 



260 LONE LIFE : 

induces wonder how aught in the shape of quadruped, 
and of so diminutive stature, can produce so unna- 
tural a call. 

Those that have been engaged in logging of a 
sharp frosty morning can remember the click that 
the ox-chain makes as the various links come to- 
gether ; the note of the chain-mouse is similar, but 
possessed of more reverberation although less body of 
sound. Oft on a stilly night when moose calling I 
have heard it ; for many a day I wondered what it 
could be, till by chance I learned the origin of this 
quaintest of animal voices. 

Whip-poor-will ! who that has spent an evening 
in American forest-lands can forget this oft-repeated 
call. It truly has not the melody of the nightingale, 
still is soft and pleasant to the ear, although apt to 
be monotonous. To-night it sounded from the dark 
woods, evidence that this bird (one of the Caprimul- 
gidce family), although denied a residence by many 
authorities so far north, does in summer migrate to 
higher latitudes than supposed. 

But to bed, to bed, sleepy head, I feel tired and 
drowsy, so retire. 

Sugar next day was left in camp to take charge 
of my worldly wealth, while Cariboo with my se- 
cond gun proposed hunting eastward, I selecting 
the reverse direction. In my tramp I saw several 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 261 

reindeer, but as they appeared wild I did not attempt 
to stalk them. A wolf gave me a fair but long 
shot — which I missed — my want of skill not by any 
means improving my temper. Working my way off the 
barren grounds towards the river, I got into a dense 
swamp of hemlock and cedar, the mossy carpeting 
of the ground through which these evergreens sprung 
being cut up with innumerable tracks of the change- 
able hare. Convinced that these beautiful animals 
abounded around me, still all exertions to obtain 
a shot failed, although I practised an artifice com- 
mon among the Indians, and which I have often 
found successful, viz., walking straight in one direc- 
tion, and indicating by manner that I am per- 
fectly indifferent to surrounding objects, or that my 
attention is directed to something on one of the top- 
most boughs of a distant tree, then turning suddenly 
round and looking for such animals in your rear 
who may have imagined they are safe from the 
star-gazing idiot who has gone by. 

But the hares here do not yet appear to be educated 
up to that standard that would make such trickery 
succeed. 

At length I gained not the river bank, but a large 
extent of overflow caused by beavers. Within a 
radius of a couple of hundred square yards I counted 
eight of their dwellings ; and although lately-gnawed 



262 LONE LIFE : 

wood, and innumerable fresh tracks spoke distinctly 
of their still inhabiting this sequestered retreat, an 
hour's patient waiting did not reward me with a sight 
of the shy architects. 

I could not help thinking what wrong impressions 
all are liable to imbibe from books and drawings, as 
I surveyed the residences of these once valuable 
rodents ; for instead of their houses looking like the 
inverted bowl of a soup ladle — smooth on the sur- 
face and regular in form — they resemble more a very 
ragged but closely pressed-down brush-heap, here 
and there, particularly on the top, most unsystema- 
tically plastered with large clods of mould. 

The beavers were paying visits, taking a siesta, or 
enjoying an early dinner-party, so I came forth from 
my hiding-place, feeling small — as every one does 
who attempts a bit of roguery in which he does not 
succeed ; so slipping quietly off, for fear I should be 
noticed doing so, and jeered at in consequence, I 
directed my course towards the river. I had not 
gone above a yard or two when a blue jay pro- 
claimed my presence in his usual ironical laughing 
call. I looked up, saw the scoundrel ; he was sur- 
veying me in the ordinary impudent manner of his 
race ; his eye caught mine, and he laughed again in 
irony. I try never to lose my temper, in fact, be- 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 263 

lieve I have a pretty good control over it ; but would 
you believe me I could have shot that bird, I was 
very nearly turning back to do it, for ignorant of 
what a risk he had run, when my back was turned he 
derisively chattered after me, knowing doubtless full 
well that the joke was all on his side. Those blue jays 
are impudent, saucy scoundrels, and they presume 
on the knowledge that they are not worth a charge 
of shot ; in fact, like a pettifogging attorney who tries 
to induce you to kick him, but you desist, not consi- 
dering that the momentary pleasure you enjoy in 
doing so is worth the costs for assault of which you 
would afterwards probably be mulcted. 

Gaining the water's edge, I was charmed to see 
how beautifully the trout were rising. To me there 
is an attractiveness in following the course of a river 
when fish are on the feed,, so instead of returning to 
our encampment by cutting across the barren, I 
resolved to follow the tortuous stream till I reached 
home. 

Stranger, never be induced to adopt such a course; 
take my word for it if you do so, you will have 
reason for regret. Three or four times in my life I 
have allowed myself to be induced to do so^ and 
ere I had done so half an hour, have regretted my 
decision. To turn back no one likes, it too nracli 



264- lone life: 

resembles being defeated in something you have 
pledged yourself to perform, so hoping that every 
turn, every bend will disclose fewer impediments, you 
push on. 

But, alas ! you hope in vain ; for the same laby- 
rinths of tangled brush and fallen trees exist, ad 
infinitum, and nine rivers out of ten, straight as they 
may appear at a cursory glance, are as crooked as 
ram's horns. 

To have a couple of hours' fishing before sunset 
was doubtless the cause of my hurrying ; how often 
one calculates without his host the sequel will show. 

Soon after starting I regretted the step I had 
taken, for the banks of the stream were choked with 
snags, windfalls, and creepers ; onwards I continued 
struggling in the hope of gaining easier walking, but 
my expectations were doomed to disappointment. 

A person cannot straddle a log, part bushes, or 
carry a gun through such obstacles without exposing 
himself to the flies, and their name was million. Not 
only did they attack me on the face and hands, but 
the mosquitoes bit me through my sleeves and 
trousers, while the black-flies established a branch 
tunnel communication between my collar and my 
wristbands and ankles. No express-train system 
■did they adopt, but made wayside stations every- 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 265 

where, each furnished with a restaurant, my poor 
body being the ham sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, or 
anything else they chose to imagine, on which to 
sup. Too late to turn back, I dreaded the advance, 
but procrastination was not to be thought of, so I 
pushed forward. 

Such was my plight when I perceived a mink on a 
point of rock close by. The pelt was worth having, 
so I fired; but when I reached the place where it 
stood, the animal struggling in its death throes was 
nearing the rapids and far beyond my reach. Dis- 
appointed, I resumed my journey. 

To enlarge upon my difficulties any further would 
be useless. All I have to say is that it was almost 
dark before I came in sight of our camp-fire, and 
that the cheery welcome that the dogs gave me when 
I approached it, did much to soften the bitterness of 
my wounded spirits, and, may I add, wounded body. 



266 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

A chapter of accidents, however, had occurred 
during my absence ; invariably such is the case when 
my back is turned. 

Sugar's story I will first tell. About noon he 
heard Poteen barking on the edge of the river a couple 
of hundred yards above the camp. Skye, true to his 
character, no sooner heard his companion's voice, 
than regardless of the boy, rushed off to join in what- 
ever mischief was promised. The lad having every 
faith in the professions of friendship hourly ex- 
hibited by his bedfellow, whistled and called upon 
the truants to come back, till he was exhausted, but all 
in vain. Dreading my return, and probably a scold- 
ing for not keeping the dogs tied up, to bring them 
home he went up the river to where both now were 
fiercely giving tongue. Fortunately he took with him 
a club, for excepting his knife he had no other arms. 

On gaining the spot he immediately learned from 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 267 

the appearance and manner of the dogs that they 
had brought to bay in the top of a decayed tree some 
animal that they were desirous of getting at, but 
could not reach. 

Examination soon discovered a wild-cat kitten 
about three months old. Indians are never at a loss 
for expedients, so he made a noose, tied it on the end 
of a pole, and getting above the creature, slipped it 
over its head while it was occupied in watching the 
tactics of its two angry assailants. 

So far the game was well played — and trium- 
phantly the lad was preparing to carry home his prize 
when he was attacked by the female parent in the 
most ferocious manner. So sudden was her onslaught, 
that until the assailant was at his feet she had not 
been seen ; however, Poteen made a dash at her and 
gave her a sample of the pattern of his teeth, but 
that was all, for as soon as he discovered the foe was 
determined to fight, and had received some scratches, 
he retired, Skye in the mean time coming in for 
the brunt of the battle. 

An Indian's courage rarely forsakes him in the 
most trying ordeal, so dropping the captive kitten he 
rushed for the relinquished club, and with it re- 
newed the fight. This caused the wild-cat to leave 
Skye, who by this time was pretty nearly used up, 



268 LONE life: 

and devote her energies to the boy; several times 
the agile lad beat her off; bnt at length missing 
his blow, the fiend got inside his reach and fastened 
on his throat. With characteristic presence of mind 
Sugar threw himself down, when his sharp-edged 
knife finished the struggle. 

The reader must not think that the North American 
wild-cat, lucifee, or bay lynx is a contemptible foe, 
far from it, for although its weight seldom exceeds 
two or three and twenty pounds, it is one of the 
most ferocious, active, and dangerous animals of the 
New World. 

Sugar, fortunately, had not suffered as much as 
his clothes. I believe bringing home the kitten and 
his dead antagonist softened all pains of body that he 
felt ; but Skye was much mauled, one of his eyes 
being closed, I fear permanently ; even the craven- 
hearted Poteen had convincing evidence on one leg 
and along his cheek of how adroitly the foe could 
handle her teeth and claws. For his mishaps I felt 
little pity, for if with his superior strength and 
power of jaw he had assisted the game little terrier, 
the lad would have been spared, and Skye would 
have come off with far fewer injuries. 

Now to Cariboo. He shot one of his namesakes and 
left it, intending to return for the hide and tit-bits 
on his homeward journey. After being absent three 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 269 

or four hours, on approaching where he had left his 
game, he found an old she-bear with a couple of 
cubs in possession. Nothing daunted, he determined 
to dispute the right of property with mooin, on the 
ground of prior claims, so advanced under cover 
within twenty yards of the old lady, who was already 
busy rending the carcase in pieces. 

The Indian being unaccustomed to the use of a 
double-gun, in some inexplicable manner discharged 
one barrel before he had taken aim. This contretemps 
disclosed the young Indian's ambush, and the old fiend 
immediately charged. In the hurry of my attendant 
to fire a second time he got his finger upon the wrong 
trigger, and of course with no result : at length just 
as his antagonist was about to spring on him, he 
pressed the proper one, and believes he wounded the 
foe ; however, she did not fall, but in the excitement 
he made his escape and thought himself very fortu- 
nate in being spared to narrate his adventure. 

This story was told so straightforwardly that I 
believed it in every detail, more especially as an 
Indian seldom, I may say never, exaggerates his own 
performances, and that a double gun is a vara avis 
among them, and only occasionally seen in the pos- 
session of a chief. 

In spite of skunky smells, the dogs had daily 
their wounds well washed in salt and water, and 



270 LONE LIFE: 

the sores smeared over with oil of tar to protect them 
from the insects, which resulted in all soon thoroughly- 
recovering from their ailments. On account of the 
clearing that surrounds it, our camp here, fortu- 
nately, is not so much troubled with insect pests as 
it would otherwise be. 

My heart was large that night ; so assuming the 
duties of medico, I prescribed for each of my two- 
footed companions, as well as myself — for I had suf- 
fered many a break and wound in person as well as 
in spirits — a nightcap. I can vouch it went down 
the right way, and that their slumbers, judging from 
my own, were sounder in consequence. 

Next morning Cariboo and I held a council of 
war on the expediency of visiting the scene of his 
disaster of yesterday ; the result was that we started 
after breakfast in the hope of meeting Mrs. Bruin 
and her progeny. 

My associate took up the trail of his former track, 
and at that long low pace peculiar to his race, with- 
out deviation to the right or left, kept it. An Indian 
when unloaded is a wonderfully rapid walker, and al- 
though they do not appear to be making any exertion, 
slip over the ground at an amazing gait, so fast, in 
truth, that it required, and then unsuccessfully, every 
effort of mine to keep. up. However, when I wanted a 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 271 

few minutes' breathing time, I invariably saw some 
mythical object in the distance that required consi- 
deration, and his opinion on what it was. Thus a 
halt was gained, possibly not very creditably, but 
none the less necessary, for it never does to show your 
weakness, as it might lead to liberties being taken, 
and the Red-man has a blind belief that he is in 
everything immensely inferior to the white, an im- 
pression that never should be allowed to alter. 

In about an hour and a half we came to the scene 
of the contest. The cariboo was nearly all devoured, a 
circumstance that caused my companion to remark, 
" I no hit he, I think." The grass and even bushes 
around were broken down, and some of the bones 
had been dragged many yards from where the deer 
had fallen. 

If alone I should have now been compelled to give 
up further pursuit; but the keen eyes of Cariboo 
soon discovered the trail, which, after he had followed 
a short distance, the lad, returning to my side, said, 
sotto voce, u He gone to water — I know — close by." 

To the water I was led ; it was a small pool, the 
stream that fed it and flowed from it not being over 
a few inches in diameter, and so sunk in the ground 
that the herbage completely hid its course. 

But at this pool the bears had certainly drank, for 



272 LONE LIFE: 

the herbage was trampled upon, and so lately had 
this occurred that some of the stems that had been 
crushed down were still in the act of regaining their 
upright position. Again, as to further proceedings, I 
should have been stumped, but the innate know- 
ledge that the Indian possesses solved the mystery. 

In rather a brush-grown portion of the barrens 
about a quarter of a mile distant, piled up to a con- 
siderable height, lay a number of large boulders. To 
these the Indian pointed : " Mooin go there to sleep, 
me think," and forward he stalked towards it. At 
last gaining its vicinity, we found it such a tangled 
mass of brush that a dozen instead of three bears 
might have hid within its closely interlocked masses 
of vegetation without fear of detection. 

I thought better not to state my suspicion, but leave 
the affair in the hands of one who was immeasurably 
my superior in wood- craft. At length we wormed 
ourselves through the dwarf brush and gained 
silently the highest point of the rocks. The feat 
was not easy, still it was silently performed. 
Having gained this perch, earnestly I gazed into 
every nook and cranny, but failed to discover the 
objects of our search, so I sat down and would 
have commenced to smoke, but my attendant stopped 
me. To humour him more than from any idea that we 
should find the bears, I returned my tobacco appara- 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 273 

tus to my pocket, and stretched myself to rest, for 
keeping up with the Indian had very much fatigued 
me. 

A long half-hour I spent thus, when Cariboo 
nudged my shoulder, and whispered in my ear, " I 
see he." 

"Where?" I asked. 

" There, there ; you look along my gun, there." 

But blow me if I could. 

" Well, you see he ?" 

" No ! I can see nothing but stones and bushes ; 
you must be mistaken." 

" You see that sapling ? well, look to the left you 
see white stone, and just beyond that close to root of 
sumach you see bear." 

All this instruction was very lucid, but although 
I obeyed it to the letter, still my sight refused to 
gratify me. 

" I never see the like afore, he there," again point- 
ing his gun ; " he sound asleep," said the lad. 

So both of us put fresh cartridges in our guns, and 
when ready I desired Cariboo to shoot. Long and 
careful was the aim he took ; I could hear the pulsa- 
tion of my heart in my impatience for the report ; at 
length it came and a roar of pain answered it. That 
something was hit, I could see from the struggle among 
VOL. I. t 



274 LONE LIFE: 

the bushes, and who or what it was we were not long- 
kept in doubt, for the old bear with a cub showed 
herself for an instant, then she entered the cover 
from whence the sound of the stricken animal came. 
It was now obvious that one of the cubs had sot the 
contents of the Indian's gun. Cariboo by this time 
had loaded the empty barrel, so I told him to watch 
for a chance and give the other youngster his quietus. 
Soon an opportunity occurred, and the cub fell dead. 
However, the report of the gun brought his dam to 
the front ; her head was raised looking in our direc- 
tion, but not at us, for she had not yet discovered our 
position. So I took sight and fired for her breast ; the 
shot was not a good one, still it brought her to the 
ground ; but recovering herself she regained her foot- 
ing and charged upon three legs. As he by this time 
had reloaded, I retreated behind the Indian to gain 
time to shove a fresh cartridge into my gun. Ten, 
eight, six yards only severed us from the foe, and I 
was about to step to the front, when bang, bang went 
both my companion's barrels, and the old vixen was 
incapable of doing further mischief. 

It was a good and most exciting forenoon's work, 
and I was more than pleased with my attendant's 
performance. The old bear was large but lean to 
an extreme; the cubs, however, were in prime con- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 275 

dition, and under the influence of their mater's 
tongue had cultivated most beautiful glossy coats. 

We got back to camp soon after mid-day, and I 
went in for an afternoon's fishing, which I most 
thoroughly enjoyed, for the trout rose freely, and I 
was not pestered by small fish. 

Next morning I crossed the river at the only place 
we could discover that appeared f orclable. The current 
was so strong that several times I regretted having un- 
dertaken my task; however, once started it never 
would do to turn back, for both my attendants assured 
me it was impossible, and I had given a deaf ear to 
their remonstrances. Before entering the water, 
however, I had taken the precaution of securing 
a good stout pole of eight or nine feet in length ; 
but for the assistance it rendered me, I should have 
failed ; as it was I got wet to the shoulders, which 
did not add to my comfort during the tramp that 
followed. 

Passenger pigeons I saw in great numbers through- 
out the forenoon ; heretofore I was under the im- 
pression that they did not come so far north. From 
Audubon's or Wilson's work I doubtless imbibed 
this idea. 

After pushing through some very dense cedar and 
hemlock swamp thickly interspersed with wind-- 

T 2 



"276 LONE life: 

falls j I gained a large meadow many hundred acres 
in extent, with a considerable sized pond in the 
centre. 

The surface of the water was dotted over with 
ra number of different varieties of wild-fowl, the 
preponderating species being the stately mallard 
•and merganser. The margin of this diminutive lake 
was so swampy that all attempts to reach it failed. One 
effort I made nearly cost me dearly, for the crust of 
the surface which had been swaying up and down, 
almost rolling like miniature waves, broke under the 
pressure of my right foot, and but for an amount of 
activity scarcely to be expected from a person of my 
figure I would have gone in possibly — yes, and 
probably over my head. Snipe were here very 
abundant; doubtless this was a favourite hatching- 
place — for its solitude and nature exactly suited 
such a purpose. On a dead pine of great height, 
decayed and in many places barkless, sat a bald- 
headed eagle, solitary guardian of the demesne. 
Scarcely could he have chosen a more suitable 
throne, for from his perch he could see on all sides 
what was transpiring among the animal kingdom 
that formed his principal prey. This bird, em- 
blem of the Great Western Kepublic, is no more 
..a favourite of mine than of Benjamin Franklin, 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 277 

for he is a robber, a coward, and a filthy feeder- 
Yet it cannot be denied that his appearance is noble- 
and his flight majestic. 

Although his appetite is so ravenous that scarcely 
anything comes amiss to his palate, he much prefers 
to kill his own food; and several times during my 
observation, with swift and powerful pinion he dashed 
with the velocity of an arrow on to the surface of 
the water to seize some thoughtless fish which was- 
basking on the surface. 

To kill marauders such as this some deem praise- 
worthy, but I found him far too wary to permit me 
within range, even had I desired to do so, which I 
did not, for they occupy a useful place in the animal 
creation. 

After a detour of two or three miles I came upon 
a lovely little rivulet ; beneath my feet where I 
struck it was a perpendicular fall of six or seven yards 
in height, and as I gazed into the rocky recesses of 
a pool beneath I saw an otter feeding on a trout he 
had just captured. I got a fair shot at the poacher, 
but although the distance was short and the animal 
severely wounded, he managed to struggle into the 
water. 

Determined, however, to secure the hide, I ran 
down to a shallow ford below, which could not be 



278 LONE LIFE : 

passed without the animal affording me a second shot. 
My supposition that he would make for this, so as to 
get down the course of the stream, was correct, for 
scarcely had I gained my stand before it appeared. 
Blood was flowing profusely from the creature's head 
-and shoulders, still he looked as if he had plenty of 
vitality left to gain a hiding-place, so I gave him the 
second barrel. In length from nose to end of tail 
this trophy must have measured five feet, a size that 
is quite unusual ; his coat was a beautiful dark chest- 
nut brown, and although the fur was rather short, 
still was in excellent order. The vitality of the otter 
is quite remarkable ; with the exception of the wild- 
cat I doubt if any animal in the American forests 
require more killing. 

For a long time the Canadian otter was consi- 
dered identical with the European species, but scien- 
tific men have now decided otherwise ; for inde- 
pendent of variation in size and colour, they are 
discovered to possess osteological differences. On the 
Pacific coast of North America there is another 
recognised distinct species to be found. 

On my route campward I came across a piece of 
open stony land entirely without trees or brush ; it 
was covered with the most delicious little wild straw- 
berries, the only objection being that they were so 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 279 

small that a person could eat much more rapidly than 
gather them. 

Got home in good time and found that Cariboo, 
in my absence, had packed the bear-skins home. 
He is invaluable on such an excursion, for he is 
not only an expert hunter, but willing and obliging, 
and perfectly unassuming. 

In the course of conversation in the evening he in- 
formed me that there was a bare bluff, some distance 
down this side of the river, where a white man had 
been buried. So I started at early day to find it. 

The weather was not promising, for the clouds 
were low, and the wind in its feeling spoke of rain. 
Although making the landscape look sombre, still 
good resulted in two ways; the heat ceased to be 
oppressive and the flies troublesome, so right briskly 
I trudged along, passing in my way the rocky hillock 
where the bears had been killed the day before. Two 
families of ptarmigan I disturbed ; the young of one 
brood were able to fly a considerable distance. From 
their size I should imagine that they must have been 
quite two months old — rather an early hatching for 
this neighbourhood. 

A couple of miles before I reached my destination I 
felt convinced that I could distinguish the object of 
my search, for a mound like a cairn of stones was con- 



280 LONE LIFE: 

spicuous on the summit of a knoll which slanted at an 
angle of forty-five degrees towards the river. After 
half an hour's further trudge I found my surmises 
were correct. Stones of all portable sizes and of every 
possible shape had been thrown together, forming a 
heap eight or nine feet in height ; by its side laid a 
rude cross, chiselled out of a slab of stone, brought up 
doubtless from the river bed. I should have liked to 
replace this emblem of our faith in its original posi- 
tion, but all my efforts to move it were abortive. 
Where the upright stem was crossed by the horizontal 
arms some letters were apparent, but all I could 
decipher were the capitals. 

Is it surprising when I say that I sat here for 
more than an hour, and conjured up all sorts of 
visions in respect to its origin ? 

First, I thought it might possibly be a soldier's 
grave ; and the muffled note of the drum, the Dead 
March in Saul, and firing parties, with all the im- 
pressive ceremonies of such a funeral floated before 
me; but more mature consideration told me that 
civilisation had not got sufficiently advanced in this 
lone land to make that possible. Then I saw, in 
thought, one who, to preach the Gospel to the hea- 
then, had expatriated himself from all he held dear, 
borne up the steep hill brow to be placed in his last, 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 281 

long resting-place by loving and devoted followers, 
far, so far from the land of his nativity. Or, again, 
it occurred to me that this out-of-the-way grave 
might be occupied by some hardy, energetic servant 
of the all-powerful Hudson Bay Company, who had 
succumbed under the privation inseparable from their 
exposed life ; but the cross — why the cross ? From 
it I was pleased to think that here reposed the mortal 
remains of one of its servants. 



282 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTEE XIX. 

Closer and closer to earth came the clouds ; a 
drop or two of rain called me from the realms of 
fancy, and hurriedly I started homewards. My step 
had not the energy of the morning, my spirits had 
lost their buoyancy ; and, unmindful of scenery, I 
trudged slowly homewards. What a burlesque was the 
place I was going to on the name. With each mile the 
rain increased, and the distant surroundings became 
less distinct, while from behind and to the eastward, a 
thick mist seemed bent on overtaking me. Soon it 
succeeded, and although not possessed of that amount 
of impenetrability peculiar to fogs in London or on the 
banks of Newfoundland, still it closed the horizon of 
my vision so effectually that all beyond a hundred 
yards was an unknown world, and with the fog the 
rain descended faster, not the large reckless drops of 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 283 

the thunderstorm, but minute particles so numerous 
that they speedily penetrated through the thickest 
parts of my clothing. Onward I tramped, confident 
in my power to regain camp ; one, two, three hours 
passed, and at length it commenced to dawn upon 
me that I was lost. Till the darkness of night com- 
menced to settle over the gloomy landscape I strug- 
gled hard not to admit the fact. Unwilling as I was 
to acknowledge that my skill in woodcraft was so de- 
ficient as to place me in such a position, yet much 
as I disliked it I could no longer disguise from my- 
self the fact that I was lost. 

If I had been in the timber-lands such a contre- 
temps would not have been so serious, for soon I 
could have built a shelter and made a resting-place 
of birch or hemlock boughs ; but out on the barrens, 
with scarcely a bush upon it larger than a dwarf 
ornamental shrub, it was a serious affair. 

Knowing full well that I must now remain absent 
from the camp all night, I made a virtue of necessity 
out of my position, so sought and soon found a rock 
of sufficient elevation to shelter me from the drift. 

Constant exertion for half an hour rewarded me 
with a few good armfuls of rotten but wet sticks, out 
of which to make a fire, but long and tedious were 
my efforts to coax them to burn. Through the 



284 LONE LIFE : 

assistance of my gun I obtained sparks which I 
nursed into sickly blazes, again and again to go 
out when applied to the damp wood. But each 
short-lived flame had not been without benefit, for 
their repeated application had dried the lower por- 
tions of the boughs, till an ultimate effort succeeded 
in forming the nucleus of a fire. 

Before this amount of success had rewarded my 
efforts, I feared to leave the place I had selected to 
remain in, lest I should be unable to refind it. Now 
I had it for a beacon, so I became confident, and 
wandered off in each direction till I had collected an 
ample supply of sticks to keep up a good fire through 
the long hours of night, for independent of it afford- 
ing warmth, the society of a ruddy blaze almost 
makes up for the want of companions. 

Argue as I would with myself that thousands were 
more uncomfortable, that I was rather to be envied 
than otherwise, I could not close my eyes, and the 
wolves, wild-cats, and Canadian owls seemed to 
contend with each other which could produce the 
most weird-like sounds. 

Just before break of day this concert reopened, for 
it had flagged a little after midnight, and the exertions 
of each contestant seemed to be redoubled. 

Never did storm-tossed mariner wish for land, never 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 285 

did patient crave for the night to pass, more than I 
longed for break of day. At length a perceptible 
light on the eastern horizon, which rose gradually 
and slowly towards the zenith as I gazed upon it, in- 
formed me that my longing was about to be gratified. 
And if I had wanted no other indication of the 
dawn, I might have known it was at hand, for the 
nocturnal animals had one by one ceased to grieve 
that the hours of darkness were over. 

With the rise of the sun the fog disappeared, and 
the rain ceased. Little observation of the surround- 
ing objects disclosed my position. I was within 
three hundred yards of where the bears had been 
shot, thus accounting for the unusual gathering of 
flesh-feeders, who had doubtless been attracted to the 
locality by the carrion. 

Hurriedly I pushed for camp, not to surprise its 
inmates asleep, as I expected, but to find both sitting 
up after having passed a most anxious night. My 
appearance startled them ; in a moment they sprung 
to their feet and rushed to my side. Sugar took my 
hand and kissed it without saying a word. At this I 
was not surprised, for he had been long with me, and 
before entering my service he had never known kind- 
ness ; but when a few moments afterwards Cariboo, 
looking sheepish and awkward, did the same, I felt 



286 LONE LIFE: 

I was not without true friends, far, far as I was from 
civilisation. 

My absence, I learned, had caused both great 
alarm, and that instead of cowering over the camp- 
fire, or enjoying the shelter that our temporary rest- 
ing-place afforded, they had been looking for me 
in every direction imagination told them I might 
have taken. How fatiguing and earnest had been 
their search, their haggard features and exhausted 
expression confirmed. 

Treat an Indian kindly, make allowance for his 
defalcations, reprove him when he does wrong, but 
do so more in sorrow than anger, and if he is not a 
drunkard, or under the influence of ardent spirits, a 
more faithful, loving servitor, the world cannot 
produce. A white man who practices bear and for- 
bear, they learn almost to idolise, for their predis- 
position is to look up to him as a superior being. 

I have not the slightest doubt that these primitive 
children of nature would have at any moment risked 
their lives to save mine ; whether I was struggling 
in the surging abyss of the swiftest rapid, or in the 
embrace of the fiercest bear ; therefore, is it a wonder 
that wherever the missionary has gained a hearing 
among them his influence has become dominant, 
unless the sordid gain-loving trader encroached 
upon his flock, and demoralised them with the soul- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 287 

debasing staple of their trade, ardent spirits, and 
with it altering the trusting, confiding aborigines into 
veritable fiends ? 

Although the sun was now high in the heavens, I 
craved for rest, so as soon as breakfast was discussed 
I turned in, giving permission to Sugar to accompany 
his companion wherever they chose to go, I promising 
to take care of camp in their absence. 

Never did I sleep more soundly, but my rest was 
troubled with a thousand strange dreams, so that 
when I awoke I was as unrefreshed as when I lay 
down. 

My head throbbed, my pulse rapidly beat, my skin 
felt hot, and a sensation of unaccountable languor had 
taken possession of my limbs. 

Convinced that I was going to be ill, I yet strug- 
gled against it with all the determination I could 
command. Even the dogs, who had sufficiently re- 
covered to be permitted to run at large, seemed to be 
aware that something was wrong and to regard me 
with more than ordinary affection, exchanging their 
inclinations to roam about for a desire to sit by my 
side. 

At length evening came, and with it returned the 
lads. I welcomed them in the cheeriest manner I 
could, or at least made an effort to do so ; but their 
keen eyes soon told them that I was unwell. 



288 LONE LIFE : 

Thoroughly prostrated I retired to my couch, and two 
weeks passed before I was able to sit up or recognise 
my faithful watchers. That period is a dream to 
me, but how trying must it have been to my atten- 
dants. 

July 12th. — About noon my unconsciousness 
passed away, and my mind's wanderings assumed a 
rational form. Cariboo entered the shed of boughs 
in which I reposed; it had been rethatched and 
strengthened, the better to shelter me. As he gazed 
upon my face, every lineament of his features denoting 
the most serious alarm, I spoke. " Thanks, Cariboo," 
were the words I said. In a moment he knelt by my 
side, and with a woman's softness took both my hands 
in his. No tear suffused his eye ; but without it 
he looked the perfect ideal of gratitude. After a 
pause he raised his voice, and Sugar joined him in an 
instant. 

The lad's features when I addressed him beamed 
with joy ; silently he came close to me. Exerting my 
strength I patted him on the cheek, and the poor 
child clasped my hand and burst into a perfect tor- 
rent of tears. 

Struggling to recover himself, with an effort he 
regained sufficient composure to speak, 

" Capen, I thought you on the way to meet the 
Great Manitoo. Suppose he have taken you, I no 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 289 

wish to stay behind ; because I too bad to go, he leave 
von with me a little time more." 

Until I became convalescent the attention of these 
two untutored sons of the forest was perfectly 
touching. They never for a moment left me alone, 
and their instincts seemed to teach them to anticipate 
my slightest wish. I had but to move my hand, 
when, whichever was near would be at my side ; nor 
did night, that period of rest, seem one iota to lessen 
their vigilance. Generally each day Cariboo went to 
hunt ; and instead of confining himself to large game 
or fur-bearing animals, a squirrel or two, a grouse, 
or some wild-duck, he also killed, as he knew my 
appetite, which had become most fastidious, pre- 
ferred them. Moreover the meat tea, more pro- 
perly soup from its thickness, never was permitted 
to get cold, or the supply run low, in fact, to this 
valuable stimulant I credit my rapid recovery of 
strength. 

True, it was too strong to take large quantities of, 
but that did not prevent me applying to it fre- 
quently. And such beautiful trout, brought to the 
camp alive, were prepared for me with an attention 
and cleanliness that would have tempted the most 
fastidious palate. 

The mode of cooking them by the lads is well 

vol. t. n 



290 lone life: 

worth mention, for it is deserving of being fol- 
lowed in a civilised household. With the aid of a 
hunting knife and axe they had riven out a rather 
long shingle. On this the fish, having been split 
open down the back and the vertebrae removed, the 
whole carefully washed and all particles of blood 
removed, was pinned flat with small wooden pegs. 
It was then placed in front of a clear wood-ash fire, 
a piece of deer fat being attached over whichever 
happened to be the upper end, so that the grease 
might drip over the trout, and saturate it ; less than 
ten minutes sufficed, if the fire was good, for the 
morceau to be thoroughly ready for consumption, and 
the flavour was perfect. 

Another delicacy I enjoyed through the fore- 
thought of the lads, was large quantities of whortle- 
berries, blueberries, and raspberries. At this season 
of the year the two former are found abundant on the 
edge of the swamps, the latter on the barrens. Half 
an hour each day was devoted to their collection, 
a little basket of birch bark lined with leaves, and 
filled with these wild fruit, invariably being found by 
me at my bedside if I slept longer than usual in the 
morning. And oh how refreshing they were to my 
parched mouth and throat ! Lonely I doubtlessly 
felt, but still could not help thinking how much 



A YEATL IN THE WILDERNESS. 291 

better I was situated than I could possibly have 
expected under the circumstances. The flies, too, 
had disappeared, a blessing for which it would be 
impossible for me to be sufficiently grateful, as in my 
weak state I was powerless to resist them. 

Of an afternoon before the atmosphere got chilly, 
I would take a seat outside the camp, for the breeze 
playing on my temples always freshened me up. 
The flights of wild-ducks passing up or down the 
stream, the noisy, garrulous kingfishers and blue 
jays, in this land so like each other, quarrelling and 
squabbling for no conceivable cause, and the wood- 
peckers' indefatigable tap, tap, tapping on hollow limb, 
or blithely running round the trunk, to take unawares 
any prey that thought by such a movement of 
finesse to escape, ever afforded me amusement, and 
caused time to flit by on rapid wing. 

I had felt sufficiently strong one evening to reaeh 
the river. Some Canadian crows, more resembling 
the raven than our rook, caw ! caw ! caw ! passed 
overhead, as they winged their way to their roosting 
place. In itself such a sight might be regarded as a 
trifle, still it had the effect of recalling a hundred 
sunny memories of distant home and happy days. 

Cariboo returned that evening with no greater 
reward for a long day's work than a porcupine, a 



292 LONE LIFE : 

most acceptable addition to the larder ; but the lad 
was not satisfied, and blamed himself for not having 
reaped a better reward, for he had seen plenty of 
deer and two bears. To his want of success regard- 
ing the first, he attributed the blame to the wolves, 
whom, he said, u Were altogether getting too plenty, 
so keep chasing cariboo all day, and most part of the 
night." If this is the case it is an indication that the 
game is returning south. 

Having much improved in health, I have resolved 
that if all goes well in the interim we shall leave 
here in two days, and when I state my determina- 
tion, smiles and approval meet it from my followers. 
Although true that both my attendants have lately 
had an easy time, still while I was sick both seemed 
to labour under great depression of spirits, and they, 
with the superstition peculiar to their race, doubtless 
associate this place with that misfortune, so long to 
remove to new scenes. 

Skyc affords me many a laugh. At the root of a 
stump close by my favourite seat on the river side, a 
chipmunk or ground squirrel has its nest; for want 
of larger game the dog devotes itself to the capture 
of this pretty little creature ; but for cunning and 
impudence he is more than matched. If driven 
into its hole, as soon as the pursuer retires it will 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 293 

come forth, get on the top of a stump, and chatter 
to attract his attention, then comes a charge, result- 
ing in Skye's being too late. This is repeated several 
times, and always with the same termination. At 
length the dog resorts to strategy, and gets behind 
the stump watching the hole, but no chipmunk 
comes forth, the little rogue knows too much for that. 
Tired with watching, my little four-footed friend 
returns to my side, in a few moments his tormentor 
is again out chattering at him derisively. Sunset 
promises a fine day on the morrow; if such occurs, 
we commence our journey southwards. 

While packing up our various effects ready for 
an early start, Antoine's name happened to be 
mentioned, when Cariboo pricked up his ears and 
with much earnestness in his face, said, " Antoine 
bad white man, remember me tell you so, Cap."' This 
was the second time I had received gratuitous infor- 
mation on this subject, and on each occasion from 
persons that could not have any possible advantage 
to gain by maligning him. 

I cannot say that I had ever taken a great liking 
to this half-breed Frenchman, and I had frequently 
regarded him with eyes of suspicion, when he has 
narrated with chuckling satisfaction how he had 
cheated a familv of Indians out of their fall or 



294 LONE LIFE : 

summer hunt collection of furs, or how he had dis- 
covered where their cache or storehouse was secreted, 
and pillaged it when the proprietors' backs were 
turned. Of course a man who would do such dis- 
honest things to one class would to another, although 
he would say if he thought I did not enter into his 
feelings in the affair, " Remember, Cap, they only 
Indian/' 

However, I was commencing to think, from 
his continued absence, that the confidence I had 
placed in him was about to be abused, and that 
I should never again see the stores I had supplied 
him or their value, although at the time they 
were exchanged from my guardianship to his, he 
took oaths by every saint in the calendar, used a 
whole spelling-book of " sacres" that nothing would 
make him break his word. Nevertheless, it is most 
unfair to condemn a man without a hearing, and acci- 
dent or illness may have detained him at some distant 
hunting-post, possibly he even might be dead. Un- 
friendly Red-skins, too, might have crossed his path, 
swollen rivers washed him away, dead limbs fallen 
upon him in the deep recess of the forest, or that 
fearful gun of his, the most antiquated rattletrap 
piece of firearms I had almost ever seen, which he in- 
variably fed with a double load, have blown his carcase 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 295 

into the four points of the wind. No, I will suspend 
my judgment for another month ; and then, if I hear 
nothing, give him the benefit of the doubt that one of 
the above chapter of accidents has overtaken him. 

Although I had so long been an invalid during 
our stay at our half-island encampment, I did not 
turn my back to it without feelings of regret. Every 
stump, every rock, every bush, every tree had be- 
come familiar, and was associated with some little 
episode or other : under the one a chipmunk, the 
pretty little tamia of America, had its storeroom ; 
under the next was an earth that looked much as if 
an otter occasionally resorted to its deep intricacies 
for rest or safety ; in the bunch of witch-hazel I had 
secreted myself to get a shot at teal on their way to 
and from their feeding-place, audit was the favourite 
shelter for a hermit thrush, who often continued his 
charming modulated song long after midnight ; and 
as to the summits of the taller trees, was there one 
of them on which I had not observed the charming 
cedar-bird, sole American representative of the 
European waxwing ? Yes, at this season of the year 
it was a charming resting-place for poet or painter, 
one that possessed so many attractions that verses 
must have flown in abundance from the brain of the 
former and the hand of the latter be induced to rival 



296 LONE LIFE : 

nature in her beauteous shades and lights. It was all 
I say at this season, but what would it resemble in 
winter, when deep snows covered the earth, when ice 
loaded down the water, and the powerful frost-laden 
north wind screeched through the valley, and shook 
the giant timbers in its boisterous grasp — when all 
the landscape that surrounded it was a howling wil- 
derness ? Well, such was the change that would 
come over it in the space of a few short months. 

" Well, my lads, are you ready ; got everything, 
forgotten nothing ?" were the words I addressed to 
my attendants as they stood by me ready for the 
start. 

" Yes, Cap, everything." 

" Well, off you go*" And shouldering their packs, 
which were far from small, away they started, light 
in heart, and with that long] panther-like stride that 
steals them so rapidly over the ground. I lingered 
among the debris, scattered over the hemlock boughs, 
threw down the camp-poles, and took a last glance 
around to see that nothing had been forgotten, then 
turned slowly to follow the course of my attendants, 
little Skye trotting close to my heels ; faithful little 
fellow, how different was he from Poteen, who, as 
was his custom, preferred the society of the Indians. 
The only way I could account for this evidence of 



A TEAE IN THE WILDEKNESS. 297 

bad taste was that he was a half-bred brute, with 
more of the father's than the mother's instincts. 

Our marches were not to be hurried, for we had 
plenty of time, and I was still far from sufficiently 
strong to endure much fatigue, still I carried a pack 
— it was certainly a small one — but for the sake of 
example I thought it better not to spare myself, 
although both lads strongly protested against my 
doing so and begged me hard to have its contents 
divided amongst them. That day's tramp it did feel 
heavy, and the strap with which it was supported 
across my shoulders, in whatever position I placed it, 
kept incessantly galling my collar-bones. Sheer de- 
termination alone enabled me to hold out ; but when 
we came to our evening halt, not over eight miles 
from where had been our late home, I was com- 
pletely done up. The boys had seen several cariboo 
during the day, and were several minutes within shot 
of a splendid buck, which by description was as large 
as a moose ; of course, this was a stretch of imagina- 
tion, but it doubtless was a very fine animal, as these 
timber reindeer, in contradistinction to those of the 
far north distant barrens, sometimes exceed five hun- 
dred pounds in weight. 

Some fresh trout procured by Sugar, the remnants 
of a grouse, ptarmigan, and squirrel chowder re- 

VOL. I. X 



298 LONE LIFE : 

warmed, formed my supper, and so refreshed did I 
feel after my appetite was satisfied, that I felt con- 
vinced I should much more satisfactorily perform my 
tramp on the morrow. 

The morning was fine but hazy, and as we were 
about to shoulder our loads the boy pointing through 
the mist whispered, "There, Cap, you see over that rock 
cariboo." In a moment after I discovered them ; from 
their feeding as they walked forward, I felt con- 
vinced they were unaware of our proximity. Anx- 
ious to please the lad, and to give him an oppor- 
tunity of exhibiting his skill, I offered him my 
gnu, and told him to let me see if he was a good 
hunter. Taking the weapon from my hand in an 
instant he was out of sight; I believe his celerity 
of movement was induced for fear I should change 
inv mind. Seizing Poteen by the ear to prevent his 
following the boy, and possibly marring his shot, the 
other Indian with myself availed ourselves of the 
shelter produced by the back of a boulder, the better 
to see the stalk and its result. A quarter of an hour 
might have elapsed when a puff of smoke caught my 
eye. Instantly following the direction it indicated, 
I perceived one of the deer ineffectually struggling to 
follow its comrades who were now fleeing across the 
barren in Indian file, at their customary sharp trot- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 299 

ting gait. " Why don't the brat put in the second 
barrel f " I began to wonder, when the cariboo gave 
evidence of falling, but before it had quite lost its 
limbs the boy overtook it, and his knife did the rest of 
the work. It was a clever stalk, a good shot, and 
the finale was thoroughly workman-like, and when I 
told the lad what I thought of his performance he 
looked an inch taller at least, and as proud as a pea- 
cock with two tails. 

Having examined a great number of cariboo horns 
from different parts of the American continent, the 
formation of the antlers of those that I or my fol- 
lowers have killed are almost identical with such as 
have been brought from Labrador, loftier, thinner, 
wider spread, with the palmation more confined to 
the tops than such as I have seen from the island 
of Newfoundland — the brow antlers again being 
larger and more prominent than those of the last- 
mentioned. 

The flies having entirely disappeared from the 
barren grounds, it is Cariboo's opinion that th e reason 
more deer are seen on our homeward route, is because 
migration to the south has commenced, and that we 
have now come in contact with the advance guard. 
When conversing on the habits of this animal I find 
my Indian does not coincide in that most current 



300 LONE LIFE. 

belief that the palmated antler was intended by the 
Creator for clearing away the snow to enable its 
owner to obtain food in winter; for he says, "I 
never see him do so but with his foot, and I know 
cariboo most as well as my own people." This is no 
exaggeration, the American aborigines uncontami- 
nated by frequent intercourse with white men, know 
the habits of the wild animals as well as they do the 
features of the members of their tribe. 



END OF VOL. I. 



LONDON 

C. WHITING, BEAUFORT HOUSE, DUKE STREET, LINCOLN'S-INN-FIELDS. 



LONE LIFE: 

A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS 



PARKER GILLMORE, 

AUTHOR OF 

PRAIRIE AND FOREST," "GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE," "AFLOAT AND^ASHORE. 

" ALL ROUND THE WORLD," " A HUNTER'S ADVENTURES IN THE 

FAR WEST," "PRAIRIE FARMS AND PRAIRIE FOLKS," 

"ACCESSIBLE FIELD SPORTS," &C. 



IN TWO VOLUMES. 

VOL. II. 



LONDON : 
CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. 

1875. 



LONE LIFE: 

A YEAH IN THE WILDERNESS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Last night, although still August, we had frost ; I 
should think the thermometer cannot have gone down 
more than a degree or two beneath freezing point ; 
its effect, however, is quite apparent on the trees and 
bushes, for the various shades of green, except in the 
coniferous trees, have become tipped with gold, or 
burnished copper-colour. The result is charming to 
the eye, and imparts a softness to the distance that 
previously did not exist. 

Gradually we have increased the length of the 
day's travel, till we have succeeded in passing each 
night at our old camping grounds. The air is so 
pure in these uplands, that the sojourner seems to 

VOL. II. B 



2 LONE LIFE : 

drink it in with relish, and every respiration appears 
to impart fresh strength and vigour. How many 
are there who have means at their command, still 
suffer from various ailments that a residence on 
or tour over these barrens would benefit, still they 
remain at home. Such may be apathy to the re- 
sult, it surely cannot be indolence. Let them pull 
themselves together, make a start, cease not in their 
purpose till they have arrived here, and in two 
months they will return new men. 

At length we reached the lake. Cariboo's keen 
eyes soon detected indications that strangers had 
visited the place since our departure, and therefore 
felt a little anxious for fear our canoe had been mis- 
appropriated ; however, such a serious mishap had 
not befallen us. That the unknown did not belong 
to his people, he satisfied me, and that white men 
were among them he felt perfectly certain. 

On inquiring how he knew this, he pointed out two 
different sized tracks ; the feet that made them wore 
jnoccasins, but the toes were turned out in their walk. 

" White man walk this way," said he, grinning, 
turning his toes out to an absurd extent. " Indian, 
so," placing each foot down parallel to the other. 
Thus the sand at the mouth of the stream told me 
that I was not the only white man who had visited 
this remote snot. 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 3 

I have mentioned with what a splendid rapid this 
rivulet hurled its waters into the lake. It even 
looked more attractive now than previously, and the 
trout played in the dancing current in countless 
thousands. 

Soon I got my rod together, and in the space of 
half an hour had landed more than we could well 
consume, although our appetites were none of the 
smallest. The fish, however, did not run large, all 
being about the same size, namely, a little exceed- 
ing two pounds. 

The weather became very close towards night, and 
all animal life, except the owls, wondrously still ; these 
creatures, on the contrary, were remarkably vociferous; 
laughing, screeching, and swearing, as if in their 
selfishness they considered there were no others than 
themselves in the universe, or that if there were, that 
they had exactly the same taste as themselves in what 
constituted melody. 

Cariboo says it is going to rain, the scud over- 
head caused me to think that a gale is portended : 
but as we have a good camp in an admirably-situated 
position, it does not matter whether it blows high or 
low, or that the rains should descend with all the 
mad reckless impetus of the thunder-storm. 

When we awoke in the morning it had clone both, 
b2 



4 LONE LIFE : 

so each, took credit for being weatherwise and congra- 
tulated himself on his ability to decipher what the 
pages of heaven had written on them. 

About nine the rain ceased, but the wind freshened, 
while the waves upon the lake being no longer beat 
down by its fury, increased to such an extent, that 
the observer would have imagined as he gazed upon 
them, that he was looking over old Father Ocean 
in one of his fitful moods. The Indians, nothing 
loth, were ready for a start ; to acquiesce in their 
desire would have entailed a long paddle, possibly 
clanger, certainly a wetting, for the white horses 
reared their heads angrily on every portion of the 
lake that was unsheltered from the blast, therefore I 
resolved to postpone embarkation till the morrow. 

Cariboo evidently would have preferred that the 
delay had not occurred, still he said nothing, did 
not even grumble, but, looking grumpy, took his gun 
and went off for a hunt, while Sugar and self got 
the canoe round to the mouth of the river, for its 
embouchure was well sheltered from being on the 
weather shore, and tried the trout. Going beyond 
the water I had fished last night, the boy held the 
craft by a pole, and I, having mounted a large 
salmon fly, commenced work. 

The trout were famished with hunger, if an opinion 
.can be formed from the voracity they displayed to take 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. & 

my lure, and the deeper water that I was whipping 
possessed heavier fish than those I had captured the 
previous evening. After an hour and a half of work 
I ceased for lunch, renewing the sport about five ; 
by sunset I had close on three dozen, several of which 
exceeded four pounds, one I am certain would have 
turned the scale at six. But for my rod being so 
light I might have doubled the number ; for after 
landing a fish I was generally fast in another at the 
second or third cast. 

Off the mouth of this stream the trout were col- 
lected in uncountable numbers, evidently waiting for 
the water of it to rise to enable them to proceed 
to their favourite spawning beds. An extraordinary 
thing — at least it would be deemed so in England — 
was that the fish totally disregarded the canoe ; even 
under its bottom many could be seen, as if they 
totally ignored its presence. 

With the decline of the sun returned the Indian. 
In his hand was a fisher ; although not aquatic 
he had killed it on the margin of the lake, locali- 
ties they are especially fond of. The largest of 
the tree-martins, in contradistinction to the genus 
to which it belongs, its fur is somewhat coarse. It 
has a very prominent and peculiarly expressive eye, 
still is a perfect fiend in nature. The Indians regard 
it as a great medicine, and eat certain portions of 



b LONE LIFE: 

its body to imbue them with courage ; what part I 
did not discover, for the slayer objected to enlighten 
me, supposing doubtless that I should laugh at his 
superstition. However, so highly did he value his 
prize that he did not now regret the delay caused by 
not starting in the morning, proved amply by his 
glum looks having disappeared, and his tongue wag- 
ging with more than usual volubility. 

Next morning the gale having somewhat subsided, 
we got under way, each handling his paddle with 
such vigour that we soon left the shelter of the 
land, and were dancing about among the white- 
capped waves. Our craft behaved splendidly; it was 
as buoyant as a cork, but from being high out of the 
water, required an immense amount of elbow-grease 
to propel it forward. Not being in training I soon 
got fatigued ; but cease my labours as long as I was 
able to hold out I could not, for it required the com- 
bined efforts of all to make headway against wind and 
sea. By the elevation of the sun there remained but 
a couple of hours till it set, yet only half the distance 
intended had been accomplished. A barren ridge 
of rock without timber was to leeward ; from its un- 
inviting appearance I scarcely liked to propose it as a 
halting-place. However, it was evident all were get- 
ting exhausted, and although slowly crawling to wind- 
ward, still making quite as much in-drift. Nearer 



A YEA.R IN THE WILDERNESS. 7 

and nearer we approached the inhospitable jumble of 
stones, the waves beat relentlessly on its shore, and 
numerous spaces of white foam near at hand told 
that the bottom was irregular, and that jagged boulders 
In places almost reached the surface. We all did 
our utmost. Cariboo in the stern toiled with super- 
human strength, and if a way always followed a 
will, we should have succeeded in weathering the reef. 
Momentarily I felt we were getting nearer and nearer 
to danger, at length as we tumbled off the crest of 
an unusually big wave, there was a grating sound, 
then a ripping noise, and the water boiled in through 
the bottom of the canoe, an aperture having been 
torn nearly a foot in length. 

Cariboo was equal to the emergency. Retain- 
ing hold of the stern, he dropped into the water, 
and in hurried words begged us to do likewise, for 
unless we followed his advice, we should lose guns 
and everything. Sugar took the water like a mus- 
quash, I followed suit and struck out for land ; fifty 
yards I had scarcely traversed when I commenced 
to feel exhausted. Straightening myself to feel for 
bottom, I thankfully touched it. Between wading 
and swimming I was soon on terra jirma, the boy 
having preceded me by some minutes. 

The Indian never better proved his worth than on 
this occasion ; he kept his hold upon our shipwrecked 



8 LONE LIFE: 

craft and forced it, by almost superhuman effort s, 
before him, for being lightened of a good portion of 
its freight the leak happily did not gain so rapidly. 

Cariboo fortunately soon got into his depth, but the 
difficulty was where to effect a landing for the canoe ; 
soon this was discovered, and all our property, wet 
certainly, was safely landed. 

A more cheerless night than that I do not think I 
ever passed. There was no shelter to be obtained, and 
little if any firewood sufficiently dry to burn, still we 
had every reason to be thankful, for if the accident 
had occured further from shore, I believe I never 
could have succeeded in reaching it, and more than 
probable all my goods would have found a resting- 
place in the bottom of the lake. 

In the morning I arose cramped and miserable, 
every bone in my body had found out a new ache ? 
for the softest level surface I could find to lie on was 
the top of a honeycombed rock, and my system rebelled 
against such treatment. An indifferent meal, how- 
ever, did much to mitigate my pains, but when the 
canoe was inspected I became sick at heart, for I felt 
convinced it never could be made sufficiently sea- 
worthy to take us away, although the lake had now 
become as calm as a mill-pond. 

Unfortunately such a contretemps had not been 
anticipated, so no gum for caulking was among our 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. tf 

gear, still the two Indians laboured sedulously, pick- 
ing a piece off here and a piece off there, from 
wherever they thought it could be spared, still 
their industry and skill failed to make it sufficiently 
buoyant to carry all. After supper Cariboo proposed 
starting at once alone, promising to bring aid as soon 
as possible. I did not envy the plucky lad the trip, 
for in a few minutes after he was afloat the canoe's 
floor was flooded ; however, he w T as confident, pointed 
laughingly to the baling scoop, and with a deep, 
strong stroke, sailed off into the darkness. 

Another night of discomfort ; even the do^s seem 
to feel and testify their disapprobation by constant 
restlessness. Thank goodness, ere noon came relief 
had arrived ; if I had been detained here much 
longer I believe I should have possessed as many 
callosities on my person as a camel. 

A welcome greeting our deliverers received, for 
I knew, or had met, them all before, the old chief 
as steersman occupying the seat of honour; and 
lustily did they hang to their paddles, almost lifting 
their light craft from the water. Four o'clock saw 
us entering the little bay, and a crowd upon the 
beach waiting to greet our arrival. 

The whole hamlet had, in fact, turned out, and a 
merry laugh or kindly nod met me on every side. The 
old squaw warmly clasped my hand, and pronounced 



10 LONE LIFE : 

something I did not quite catch, the others lauding 
her sentiment. And Saucy was there — resplendent 
in her brilliant bronze complexion and graceful form. 
Fawn-like she approached me, and after pronouncing 
some pretty compliment, took my gun from my hand 
and led the way to the wigwam of her father. Never 
was guest more warmly welcomed, or worn-out hunter 
more solicitously guarded ; and truly I required all 
this consideration, for I felt that my frame was 
thoroughly demoralised, so yawned and gave other 
indications of sleepiness long before the hour for re- 
tiring had arrived. 

But these kind simple people understood my want ; 
a splendid bearskin was spread on the floor for a bed, 
my pack placed close at hand, so ere the second 
pipe had been consumed, I was away, far away in 
distant lands, at least in dreams. 

Next morning I learned, from the old chief, that 
Antoine had returned ; he did not forget to add, " He 
bad white man ;" he further informed me that he 
had left and gone off north, to where the white squaw 
lived ; further, that he had taken Fatty-plumpy with 
him, whom the old man vowed he had stolen. Still, 
he added, if he w r as kind to her, he could forgive him, 
for she was better as his squaw than as an Indian's. 

I had remarked the girl's absence, but did not 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 11 

choose to take notice of it, for fear my interest 
might be misconstrued. From the estimate I had 
formed of her character I did not think that much 
inducement would be required to cause her to elope ; 
but I felt certain her future life would have been 
far happier if she had united herself to one of her 
own race. Poor, fat, chubby, impulsive child, I 
feared she had made a sorry bed, from which she 
was never likely to be able to muster sufficient re- 
solution to tear herself. 

But who was this white squaw I had heard so often 
mentioned ? To all my inquiries I get one answer, 
"Missionary squaw." Can it be possible for a white 
woman to be so self-sacrificing as to dwell alone in 
these wilds ? 

Antoine's sudden return and as rapid disappear- 
ance without visiting me, struck me as strange. 
What could it portend ! My late residence was no 
secret, and he might have learnt it if he desired. 
Long I brooded and thought over the matter, and 
was still more deeply involved in mystery afterwards 
than before. 

For an extremely moderate remuneration — in fact, 
at first he positively refused to listen to any proposal 
of payment for the service — the old chief agreed 
to transport myself, Sugar, and all my belongings to 



12 LONE LIFE : 

the shanty, and send my canoe, which had now been 
thoroughly repaired, across the portage. 

Bidding all farewell, Cariboo promising to join me 
in a few days, we embarked on board one of the 
large family crafts, and soon doubled the point, and 
threading the intricacies of the river, beautiful in 
its solitude, ever varying, ever changing, ever lovely 
sunset soon brought us in view of our hut, over 
which truly hung an air of desolation. 

When back some days, the old shanty and its little 
surrounding clearing looked as cheerful as ever* 
What is it that imparts such an air of comfort to it 
now we are returned ? Well, I will tell you — 
that clear white wreath of smoke ascending from 
the chimney does the whole thing ; it is the finish- 
ing touch to the picture, life to the body it inha- 
bits. My Indian friends, although I have now re- 
turned some days, have not yet departed for their 
home. Of course they are my guests and live at my 
expense ; for none so far have done anything in the 
shape of hunting, except it be to dawdle an hour 
or two away by the river, and return at its termina- 
tion with a string of trout. Feeding them I must not 
be imagined for a moment to grudge, they would do 
as much for me ; but half a dozen Eed-skins, inde- 
pendent of my own family circle, within the confined 
limits of my dwelling, tries ventilation rather hard. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 13 

The first night I put up with it, I was too tired to 
be fastidious; but the second was more than I 
could bear ; it recalled vividly one never to be 
forgotten — that succeeding our landing in the Gulf 
of Petuli to invest the Taku Forts. The whole 
encampment was a swamp of the most dismal kind, 
sticky and clammy as a paddy-field that had just 
absorbed the water with which it had been flooded. 
The rain fell in one uninterrupted drenching 
down-pour, soaking everything from food to cloth- 
ing; while the wind, although not particularly 
high, was sufficiently so to prevent a tent standing, 
where it could not obtain the support of well-braced 
storm-ropes ; but that was impossible, for the earth was 
without consistency, and pegs seemed to be extracted 
from it even with greater facility than the mallet 
drove them down. 

The prospect of a night exposed to such weather 
was very far from pleasant, but there appeared to 
be no alternative. As an old forager I was ex- 
pected to devise some plan to lessen our misery ; in 
fact, if I had failed to do so, I felt convinced I 
should wondrously sink in the estimation of those 
that surrounded me. But I believed that I was over- 
taxed, and that only some unseen stroke of good luck 
could save me. Leaving the conclave of miserables, 
I poked about in every direction. Examining critically 



14 LONE LIFE : 

the jumble of stones and mud that had once formed 
human habitations, hoping material might even be 
found to make a floor, and possibly an overhead shelter ; 
but long was my search fruitless. At length trying to 
disengage an old beam, which doubtless had at one time 
done duty for a rafter, from amid the debris in which 
it was partially imbedded, I discovered an aperture, 
which, on being enlarged, exposed an entrance to a 
pig-stye. On examination I found it possessed a 
roof which cOuld be made water- tight by spreading 
over it one or two tents ; but the floor was filthy, the 
dirtiest family of pigs in all China must have pos- 
sessed it for a domicile through many, many suc- 
cessive generations. 

Calling my servant and some of the men, we 
shovelled out the debris, hoping to get to the bot- 
tom of the richly manured soil ; but such was 
a fruitless job, for the earth was saturated, not 
for a few inches, but I believe to the depth of 
an ordinary grave. However, the place, bad as it 
was, was better than the open swamp, so I had 
several bales of forage brought in and deeply 
strewed on the floor. Over this came our water- 
proofs, and the eight or nine brother officers who 
crowded into the stye's limited space, voted me a 
good fellow and a prince among old campaigners. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 15 

It was no use being fastidious ; each thought he per- 
ceived something highly objectionable to his sen- 
sitive nose, but believing that prejudice in occu- 
pying a tenement which had been devoted to such 
a purpose had much to do with it, said nothing on 
the subject. Before midnight the trumpeting of 
numerous nasal organs proclaimed that all had en- 
tered dreamland. 

The reveille sounded at the usual hour ; prompt to 
the call all sprung up ; but, oh ! the smell that greeted 
them. ' To stand it now they had returned from 
oblivious sleep was impossible, so forth each rushed 
as he had risen from his couch. Salt pork was 
unfortunately among our rations ; for months after- 
wards I never looked at a piece of it without remem- 
bering its producers were cousins, English or Ame- 
rican, to the very dirty creatures that inhabited the 
stye on the Gulf of Petuli. 

Well, such was the smell, at least it was a gentle, 
although undeniable reminder of the past, that 
saluted my nostrils when I awoke the second morn- 
ing, so I forthwith made fresh regulations in my 
household, that with exception of the chief and his 
daughter, the remainder of the escort should sleep 
out- doors. 

Xo way disconcerted at my decision, they in a few 



16 LONE LIFE : 

hours had built a very snug bough-house about a 
hundred yards from the shanty, and seemed to enjoy 
its shelter with the greatest amount of satisfaction. 

After the habit of such establishments they always 
had an ample blazing fire going, which at night 
showed off the dark figures that crouched about it, 
and caused lights and shadows to flit or dance around 
that would have delighted the eye of any artist. 

I should have been pleased if the old chief and 
his child had joined this coterie, but the old aristocrat 
showed no inclination to do so, and as I had not been 
above sharing his wigwam, it would have been a case 
of base ingratitude on my part to propose such a 
thing to him : however, the same consideration I did 
not show for Master Sugar, as the breath of three 
mature persons I considered was as much as a shanty, 
twelve feet by eight, could stand, if due respect was 
paid to sanitary considerations. 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 17 



CHAPTER II. 

Partial as I am to shooting, there are many days 
that, although I take my gun with me, for you never 
know in a wild country when it may be required, I go 
forth simply for a wander and to enjoy the brilliant 
woodland scenery, or to study the habits and watch 
the eccentricities of animal life. 

It is not unusual, at least I have known it so 
before, to have a short space of Indian summer as a 
forerunner of the season properly so called. 

It was exactly such a day, the wind gentle but 
plaintive, the sky overcast, a smoky appearance in 
the atmosphere, while the sun resembled an immense 
red wafer stuck in the sky. As I had not been on the 
other side of the river for some time I determined to 
pay it a visit, as it had been undisturbed by the ac- 
cession to my settlement. Taking the canoe, I paddled 
across the pool, leaving it there for my return. 

VOL. II. C 



18 LONE LIFE : 

I struck out a new route, and soon sot through the 
heavily-timbered land that margined the stream ; 
then ascended some very gradual slopes, and ulti- 
mately came on a large opening which undoubtedly 
had been caused by a forest fire, for it was still 
covered with innumerable ram-pikes, the leafless, 
limbless remains of pine trees, which impart to the 
landscape, of all things I am aware of, the most dis- 
mal appearance. The overgrowth of brush, which 
usually in such situations is dense, was here rather 
sparse, while grass in many places grew thick, 
close, short, and abundant. A thorough solitude 
reigned over the entire waste, imparting to it a 
ghost-like stillness. Such surroundings are always 
food for thought, but generally of a very dismal 
kind, and the gloomy depressing atmosphere was 
not calculated to dispel them. I had almost made up 
my mind to retire and leave the place to the evil 
spirit that apparently had it in its keeping, when I 
heard the crashing of branches not over a hundred 
yards off. u There goes or comes," thought I, " the 
gnome of this retreat," determined either to give me 
a wide berth, or to dispute my right of intrusion. 

Instead of carrying out my intentions of bolting, 
with the obstinacy peculiar to my race, I sat down 
on a fallen log, hoping at all events to have my 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 19 

curiosity gratified. Again and again came the noise 
of the crashing and breaking of boughs, ultimately 
followed by the grunt of a bull-moose. As the sound 
told that the animal was going from me, I followed 
it, still keeping in the open, and at length had the 
satisfaction to see a splendid fellow, carrying a mag- 
nificent head of horns, and black almost as night in 
his coat, walk into the clear ground about a hundred 
and fifty yards to my front. From the course he 
was taking I knew he must soon wind me, so I got 
upon a log to watch his movements. His manner 
was that of a bully spoiling for a fight, for he shook 
his head defiantly as if challenging or about to make 
a pass at an imaginary foe, stopping every few 
paces to gaze around, as if desirous of meeting or 
discovering something worthy on which to blood his 
virgin stiletto-pointed tines. 

At length the moose caught my wind, in a few 
moments afterwards his eye detected me ; for some 
minutes he stood as if considering the propriety of 
giving me battle; but after - thought gained the 
mastery, and the braggart trotted off, doubtless 
resolving to make up for his disappointment by 
punishing with additional severity the next of his 
own sex and race he encountered. 

The day was destined to be productive of infor- 
c 2 



20 LONE LIFE : 

mation, for the moose had scarcely left my sight, 
when from the elevated position which I still re- 
tained, I observed close to me a movement among 
a small clump of briers and hazel ; in a few seconds 
afterwards a Canadian lynx, better known here by 
the name of peshoo, bounded past, retraced his steps, 
and continued to hunt backwards and forwards, as 
if endeavouring to pick up a scent which it had lost. 
Soon after it was joined by a companion, and the 
pair doubled and quartered the ground over and over 
again. At length they flushed a pack of spruce- 
grouse, out of whose numbers I have little doubt 
they each secured a victim. 

The Canadian lynx must not be confused with 
the bay lynx or lucifee, for although both are 
carnivorous, they are totally different animals. The 
former resembles the old world lynx : the latter, if 
it were not for its abbreviated tail, is very like the 
European wild-cat, and from this resemblance doubt- 
less owes the name of wild-cat, by which it is uni- 
versally known to the settlers: 

The peshoo, although standing twenty inches at 
the shoulder, is a timid creature, confining its depre- 
dations to hares, grouse, squirrels, and such small 
game. It possesses a beautiful soft fawn-coloured 
coat, large tufts at the extremity of its ears, a small 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 21 

but vicious-looking head, a slim body, with upright, 
powerful, heavy limbs, terminated by extremely 
large cushioned feet. With the exception of the 
hunting-leopard, I very much douht if there is an 
animal in existence so swift in making three or 
four successive bounds upon its prey. 

Doubtless it would attack man, if cornered, and 
unable to escape otherwise, yet it is really very 
shy, and is so fragile in construction that a sharp 
blow across the loins is almost certain to break its 
back. 

From their keen sense of hearing and acute powers 
of scent, although far from scarce, they are not often 
seen. Report says they are most affectionate parents ; 
doubtless these latter good qualities, and their scru- 
pulous cleanliness of coat, have endeared them to 
me, for as special favourites I regard them. 

Their progeny, from personal experience, I can- 
not say much in favour of. Possibly the two I pos- 
sessed were too old before capture ; but more spiteful, 
relentless, unforgiving fiends 1 never previously met, 
and worst of all they persistently refused to take food, 
so died, giving me all my labour, coaxing, and anxiety 
for nothing. However, I have heard, in fact know, 
that such is not always the result, and that when once 
they are reconciled to captivity, they become much 



22 LONE LIFE : 

attached to their owner, and almost rival a dog in 
sagacity, but one weakness they are never able to 
overcome, viz., being death upon poultry. 

I let the lynxes gang their gait, and happy in 
having the pleasure of making their acquaintance, I 
pursued my way homewards. 

Cariboo I found was there. On his way across the 
portage, he had killed a deer, which already had 
been packed into camp, and large portions of it sput- 
tered over the camp-fire, a whiff of its odour giving 
me quite an appetite. In addition to the venison he 
had added to our larder a brace of remarkably fine 
beavers. So for supper we enjoyed that delicacy of 
the Western Indian country — beaver-tails stewed with 
a little pork, the gravy being thickened with flour. 
The result was a most delicious dish. At our 
evening meal Cariboo informed me that he has 
discovered a couple of dams up the tributary that 
flows into the river above the shanty, and that in 
both are plenty of inhabitants. So, desiring to learn 
more of the habits of these interesting rodents, we 
have arranged to visit the place together if the 
weather be propitious in the morning. 

There are beautiful and superbly beautiful sun- 
rises, this was the latter. The course of the river 
was free, a very rare occurrence before nine o'clock, 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 23 

of the drapery of mist that gauze-like floats over its 
surface, and the foliage from a few sharp night- 
frosts was truly magnificent. Not so prononce as it 
will be later in the season, but so soft and blended as to 
cause it to look aerial. A sight of one such morning 
in these woodland solitudes is worth a year of travel ; 
an ample reward for all the discomforts and incon- 
venience of dwelling beyond civilisation. 

The dense woodland, where the giant pine, erect 
hemlock, and twisted cedar struggle with each other 
for the occupation of every inch of soil, is not the 
place to see the soft tintings of autumn, for these 
lords of the forest are ever clothed in their dark 
sombre drapery of harsh green, but along the bed of 
the river, or on the edge of the barrens, where the 
hardwoods have succeeded in establishing a settle- 
ment, out comes the glory of colouring, which I could 
almost credit to the brush of fairies. 

Proceeding directly south, we did not rest till the 
barren was gained ; here, from the country being 
open, the frost appeared to have taken more effect, 
the maples, birches, and mountain-ash foliage having 
become either a bright straw colour, or a soft brown, 
while the sumach, oak, and whortleberry are tipped with 
scarlet, and the larch with gold ; the asters and golden- 
rods, not having lost their beauty, in no small degree 



24 LONE LIFE : 

assist the charming tout ensemble. Resting as much for 
breath — for Master Cariboo always obliges me to out- 
pace myself to keep up with him — as to admire the 
charms that surrounded me, I observed large flights 
of plover, hovering in their ever-changing fantastic 
figures. The want of small shot prevented my en- 
deavouring to get within range of these lovely birds. 
Through a swamp, almost impassable, and over a 
ridge steep and rugged as the sides of Ben Arthur, 
brought us to a lovely little sequestered valley, 
through the centre of which flowed a calm, clear 
rivulet. Half a mile above where we struck its 
margin, the stream spread out into a miniature lake, 
this expansion of water being caused by a dam whose 
construction would doubtless be attributed to beavers, 
by those who wish to believe in the animal's engi- 
neering abilities, but to my eye simply the result of 
a block produced by the superabundance of debris 
washed down in the spring freshets. At the first 
glance five beaver-houses were conspicuous, and, 
as our approach had been very guarded and up- 
wind, two of their inhabitants were seen slowly 
swimming about, one with a bough in its mouth 
upwards of a yard long. As this creature was 
within easy shot, I fired ; in a moment the water 
boiled around it from the energy of its dying struggle, 



A YEAB IX THE WILDERNESS. 25 

and ere the smoke from my gun had drifted away 
life had become extinct. But the report had made a 
strange and startling alteration in the previous soli- 
tude, for every bunch of rushes, every yard of swamp 
seemed to have sent forth a messenger, for duck after 
duck, in hundreds, kept rising as far up the course of 
the stream as I could see, each calling in their sharp, 
harsh note, as if warning others of the intruder's 
vicinity, or expressing regret that their morning 
slumbers should so ruthlessly be disturbed. But, 
leaving the broad-bills to take care of themselves, 
after following the course of the stream a few yards, 
my attendant came to one of his traps, and in 
it was a prize ; further up, at the second dam, he 
had the same luck, thus securing as a return for 
our labour three beavers. Some years back, when 
hats were made from the pelt of this animal, in a 
pecuniary sense such fortune would have been 
deemed a great stroke of luck : but, from incessant 
persecution at that period, they were much scarcer 
than at the present date. Change of fashions, or 
man's ingenuity in discovering a substitute in silk, 
out of which to fabricate our head-gear, the beaver 
family should truly be thankful for. Where the 
margin of the stream became rocky, the ferns, 
mosses, and seedlings of various trees were tramped 



26 LONE LIFE : 

down by the constant passage of these aquatic 
animals to and from their favourite haunts, and par- 
tially or entirely barked limbs of osier, willow, and 
birch strewed the ground on every side. 

The mode of trapping beaver is not understood by 
all. A few words on the subject might be accept- 
able. 

The trap is not placed upon land, but sub- 
merged in the brook or lake near a place that shows 
evidence of its frequently being used for landing when 
the game is about to proceed inland in search of food. 
Thus, according to depth of water, the trap may be 
sunk from a few inches to a couple of feet, and over 
it, attached by a string, floats a piece of chewed or 
pounded osier smeared over with castoreum. This 
substance, which is of a greasy nature and orange 
colour, is obtained from two sacs situated at the 
root of the animal's tail. The smell that it pro- 
duces seems to have the same effect on beavers as 
valerian on cats, for immediately it is scented the 
otherwise wary quadruped plays round about it, the 
result being that one or other of its legs is certain to 
get caught. But the beaver is not ignorant apparently 
of what trouble is in store for him when discovered 
by the hunter, so frequently gnaws off its foot to 
obtain release. 



A YEAE IX THE WILDERNESS. 27 

One such lesson as this would be supposed to make a 
lasting impression, and that castoreum would in future 
be carefully given a wide berth ; but " once caught, 
twice shy" is not here applicable, for it is no uncom- 
mon circumstance to secure a captive who a day or 
two previously had amputated one of his own members. 

The beaver-house externally is a very rough affair, 
internally it is wondrously snug and scrupulously 
clean, there being a large wide passage, in which the 
animal shakes itself previously to entering the dormi- 
tory. 

Independent of the dwelling erected by their in- 
genuity, each family of beavers has another sanctum, 
which, however, I think is rarely used, except in 
cases of great danger ; this is a subterraneous pas- 
sage, the entrance to which is under water, and run- 
ning up inland sometimes as much as thirty feet. 

Among other qualities as well as ingenuity, this 
interesting rodent does not live from hand to mouth, 
but lays up a stock of edibles for winter use ; this 
generally consists of short sticks of poplar and cedar, 
which are submerged in the mud, frequently several 
feet beneath the surface of the water, their depth 
preventing them becoming frozen, and therefore 
remain always fit for use even in the severity of a 
northern winter. 



28 LONE LIFE : 



CHAPTER III. 

While I was searching about, amusing myself in- 
vestigating anything that struck my fancy, my com- 
panion left me to visit a mink-trap. He had not been 
absent above twenty minutes, when the sharp report 
of his gun reverberated from tree and hillside. I 
felt convinced that it was large game, for Cariboo 
was too careful of his ammunition to expend it on 
aught else, unless told to do so ; so, picking up my 
gun, I rushed off to join in the sport, if any was to be 
had. I had nearly gained the place where I had noted 
the puff of smoke hang — very much out of breath with 
my unwonted exertion — when I almost ran against a 
three-quarter-grown bear. Which was most asto- 
nished I could not say, but Bruin recovered his pre- 
sence of mind first, for before I got my double-barrel 
to my shoulder he was out of sight in the bush of 
swamp-alder which here was unfortunately very dense. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 29 

I raised my voice and shouted. A whistle answered 
me. This I knew was expressive of a desire for me 
to be silent, and to say that other game was close. 
However, I stealthily wound my way from where 
it came, and ultimately detected the fur cap of my 
associate over the edge of a giant windfall. From 
the steady, unmoving position of his head, I took 
warning, and, therefore, instead of advancing, as 
heretofore, crawled upon all fours to his side. 

However, not a word could I get from him ; when 
I whispered, a pantomimic movement of the hand 
entreated me to silence. Once I attempted to raise 
myself, but gently I was pressed down. At length I 
was on the edge of mutiny and about to say some 
naughty words, when Cariboo dashed down his cap 
and gave vent to his wrath by uttering two or three 
expressions scarcely suitable to insert for the reader's 
edification ; then he continued, " The terriblest, 
biggest bear I most ever seed ; but he gone now ; he 
know too much." 

On further inquiry, I found that he had come 
across a young cariboo, which he had killed ; but 
while in the act of reloading, discovered this vener- 
able bear hanging about, doubtless with an eye to veni- 
son, the youngster I came across being unquestionably 
one of the old vixen's hopeful progeny. After some 



30 LONE LIFE: 

trouble, we got our trophy suspended, which was 
scarcely more than half grown, and had a tremendous 
open wound across the ham of the left leg. Bruin 
doubtless was the culprit to whom the laceration 
should be attributed. 

I feel convinced that a fair shot, with ordinary 
perseverance, could at this season of the year shoot 
three or four bears weekly. In whatever direction 
you choose to go evidence of their presence is con- 
spicuously thrust before you, especially where 
whortleberries and raspberries grow ; in fact, in many 
places square yards of surface among such bushes are 
bare or covered with leaves and broken limbs, as if 
the devourers, not satisfied with gratifying their appe- 
tites, endeavoured to do as much damage as possible. 
A sharp quick tramp of an hour and a half brought 
us so close to home that I could hear the click, click of 
Sugar's axe as he cut away at the wood-pile, in order 
to have a necessary supply of fuel ready on the hun- 
ters' return. This was the lad's invariable practice ; 
for afterwards, if we had anything to narrate, any ad- 
venture to discuss, nothing could have got the boy 
beyond ear-shot. So thorough was he a hunter 
at heart, that next to actually being engaged in the 
chase, his greatest pleasure in life was to hear it 
spoken of. 

I have often watched this child's usually stolid 



A YEAR m THE WILDERNESS. 31 

features become quite animated, his Lands clutch 
each other, and his long half-closed eyes dilate, when 
a rencontre with a bear or the chase of a buffalo 
was described; and sometimes when a hair-breadth 
escape was on the tapis, it would become such a 
magnet of attraction to him that almost uncon- 
sciously he would draw closer and closer to the 
speaker's side, as if eager to devour the words before 
uttered. 

There is scarcely a sport I know of that affords me 
more pleasure than moose calling, the only objection 
I can urge against it being that I am compelled to 
take a companion with me ; for although I can make 
one or two of the required notes fairly, I am still 
very far from an accomplished caller. Thus the 
pleasure to be enjoyed from the solitude of the 
barren, the repose that rests upon the lonely forest 
lake, or the sombre shade of the mammoth trees, is 
much diminished. Sugar, although scarcely fifteen 
years of age, with that extraordinary power of imita- 
tion which nearly all Indians possess, is fairly success- 
ful ; but Cariboo I believe to be without an equal 
in the science of moose calling. Indeed, very few 
white hunters ever attain sufficient excellence to 
deceive so cautious an animal, and one possessed 
of such an exquisite sense of hearing as this giant 
monarch of the woods, more especially if it is late in 



o2 LONE LIFE : 

the season, or when the neighbourhood has been 
disturbed by sportsmen. 

Another advantage attached to shooting moose by 
this method is that the animals are in prime condition, 
their horns have reached maturity, and the velvet- 
like coating; which latelv covered them has dis- 
appeared, the tines and palmation looking smooth, 
fresh, and ready to do execution upon any foe that 
disputes his prowess, or interferes with his love 
affairs. 

Moreover, the bracing fresh frosty air of a Sep- 
tember evening so pulls you together that the tramp 
to your scene of operations is most enjoyable ; not 
sufficiently cold to counteract the excitement of 
hearing the gallant quarry advance within range, 
although you may be lying full length upon the bare 
soil, or doubled up in a rocky recess. 

For some days I had discussed the propriety of 
making my season's debut — for my Indians report 
having already heard moose calling, an indication that 
the time had come when the aid of the birch-bark 
horn could successfully be employed — so on the 
evening of the 17th of September, all arrangements, 
such as the casting of bullets, cleaning guns, were 
made, that an early start might be effected on the 
following morning. 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 33 

It scarcely appeared as if I had been in bed over 
•a few hours when I was awoke by Sugar and Cariboo 
lighting the fire, in order to warm some soup, so that 
we should not start on an empty stomach. If we 
ihad been near civilisation coffee would doubtlessly 
have been selected for this purpose ; but let me 
•assure all that a greater mistake the hunter cannot 
be guilty of, if it be at all possible to obtain the 
former. The only disadvantage exists in the length 
of time it takes to make ; but then, if this is attended 
to the previous day, when wanted for use no more 
delay and attention is requisite than would be required 
to boil water. 

On tumbling out of my bunk and sticking my 
head through our primitive door, I found that fortune 
had truly favoured us ; for scarcely a breath of wind 
moved the leaves, and although there was a slight 
mist, still there was a very clear starlight. Cariboo 
noted the expression on my face, and smiling, said : 
" First-class morning for moose, Cap ; guess we have 
plenty meat before night ;" and I felt convinced his 
prophecy would come true. 

Unhampered with baggage of any description, save 
and except our guns and ammunition, we left the 
shanty about three, followed up the course of the 
river for half a mile, then struck off at right-angles 

VOL. II. D 



34 LONE life: 

through, the timber land till the barrens were 
reached, along the edge of which we proceeded till 
the waters of a solitary and not very picturesque 
pond were in view. During all this tramp scarcely 
a word was interchanged between my companion and 
self, Cariboo leading the way at his usual quick but 
silent pace. We had barely halted when moose 
were heard upon a brow of woodland about a mile 
distant, so without delay we sought and immediately 
found an admirable hiding-place among some granite 
boulders covered with rhodora, now bright pink in 
colour from the effects of the late frosts. For some 
minutes my associate appeared engaged in thought ; 
again and again he placed the horn to his mouth and 
removed it, as if uncertain of his powers to accom- 
plish what he desired. At length the strange plain- 
tive note, one unlike any other sound I know, echoed 
over the landscape. After a pause of nearly half an 
hour it was repeated, and to our gratification re- 
ceived a response ; again, after some delay, the call 
was sounded, and the answer received came from an 
animal close at hand, so close that it startled both 
of us. Cariboo motioned me to get ready ; no need 
of that, for I was so. A tearing of briers and the 
breaking of bushes now became distinctly audible 
scarcely fifty yards to my left ; in an instant my eye 
was directed to the sound, and looming larger than 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 35 s 

an ox appeared the moose coming straight for us at 
a slashing trot. In a moment my gun sprung to my 
shoulder, in rapid succession both barrels were fired 
into the creature's breast, when staggering forward 
he fell with his head bent under him. 

Our quarry, on inspection, proved to be a very 
lar^e, but not well-fed animal. Judging from the 
narrowness and length, as well as thinness of the 
palmation of the antlers, he must have been extremely 
old. So great had been the force of his fall, that the 
tines of the left horn were completely buried in the 
hard soil. 

At the proposal of the Indian, we shifted our 
position to the back of a log nearly half a mile from 
where we had been previously secreted ; this we had 
abundant facilities to do unobserved, for day had not 
yet broken. Where we now were was more open, 
yet not nearly so much to my liking; but I made no- 
comment, for I always make it a rule to leave such 
matters to the Indians, who on kindred subjects are 
much better qualified to form an opinion than myself. 
This time, without hesitation, the Red-skin sounded 
his note. In little over a few minutes an answer 
was returned, followed by the distinct sound of broken 
boughs, evidently caused by the monarch of the woods 
brushing his horns against the dry or dead timber 
d2 



-36 LONE LIFE: 

that surrounded him. Again another note issued from 
the call ; this time the grunt of recognition was 
closer, but, from the lapse of time that had occurred, 
it was evident the creature was in no great hurry to 
come up, or suspicious that all was not correct. 
Cariboo now placed his horn close to the ground, 
.and uttered a long, plaintive note. This had the 
effect of bringing the game closer, but several after 
efforts failed to make him leave the shelter of some 
dead ram-pikes a couple of hundred yards to the 
right, on whose sides he rattled his antlers as if 
venting on them wrath at the disappointment he had 
experienced in not finding a mate. 

" He very old fox, but I more old fox," said my 
attendant, concluding, in a whisper, " You wait here ; 
I soon get you shot." And from my side he glided 
away like a snake ; in fact, so silent was his retreat 
that I could scarcely realise that he had left me. 
For over a quarter of an hour I remained wondering 
what was to occur next, the only sound audible being 
an occasional crash among the dead timber. At 
length a plaintive note came from my left, to which 
the bull grunted a response, and I could tell, from its 
distinctness, he was making for it, which plan, if 
followed out, would bring him past my stand. 
Again all was still, when a second note, very low and 
very soft, received another grunt in answer, the dis- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 37 

tinctness of which assured me that the deer was much 
closer. The faintest tinge of light indicated break 
of day, and distant objects were becoming more 
clearly denned. Earnestly I fixed my eyes on where 
my ear told me the last sound had proceeded. At 
length, among some brush, I detected a move- 
ment ; soon after made out the outline of the moose, 
but so well was he sheltered that I declined firing,, 
as quite eighty yards intervened between us. For- 
tunately, my patience was not long tried. In response 
to another note from Cariboo's horn, the creature 
stepped into the open, and I fired. At the first shot the 
animal reared and lunged forward. Quick as thought 
I gave him the second barrel. I knew I had not missed, 
but feared the ball was badly placed ; for in an in- 
stant afterwards, at a slashing trot, the moose dashed 
past me. Cariboo I had almost ceased to think of,, 
but the sharp report of his gun brought the game 
headlong to the ground, for in its course it had 
approached his retreat. It was a splendid shot, and 
well worthy of being recorded. 

This moose was young, and in magnificent condi- 
tion, but had one of the brow points broken off the 
antlers close to the base. Cariboo, pointing this out, 
said, " That why he coward, frightened to come up ; 
he expect more beating from ole bull." 

Our success, the glorious sunrise, the bracing walk 



•38 LONE LIFE : 

home, made us both in the best of humours. Every 
incident of the two battles were fought over again, 
.and the praises I gave the faithful fellow for his out- 
manoeuvring the last bull fell on his ear like rain on 
parched land. 

Of the audacity of the moose, I quote the follow- 
ing from the notes of Captain Hardy, R.A., one of 
the best of sportsmen, and most reliable of authorities 
on this subject : 

"A sportsman, accompanied by an Indian, was 
moose- calling on Mosher's River, Nova Scotia, one 
morning in the autumn of 1867. They were on a 
barren, and near the margin of a heavy forest. A 
fine bull-moose came up to the call, and fell to the 
Indian's gun, when instantly another bull emerged 
from the woods, and charged at the prostrate animal. 
A second bullet brought him over, and he fell on the 
>foody of what had probably been his foe of the season. 

" A settler in the backwoods, going out one October 
evening to chop firewood near his shanty in the forest, 
..heard a bull-moose i handy.' He returned for his 
gun, and, after a short stalk in the bushes, obtained 
a shot at the moose, an animal with superb antlers, 
and could distinctly see he had hit him in the neck. 
There he stood for a considerable time, while the 
settler, who had only the one charge, lay in the 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 39 

bushes ; at length the beast turned and leisurely walked 
-away. The man was up betimes next morning, and 
away to the same spot. He saw blood, and, following 
the trail for a short distance, heard sounds indicating 
the presence of moose. Having some faint idea of 
calling, he put a piece of bark to his mouth, and gave 
the note of the bull. Answering at once, a fine 
moose came in view, when he fired, and this time 
prostrated the animal, the identical one shot the 
■evening before. He recognised the horns, and the 
wound in its neck. 

Ci Apropos of this subject, the following extracts 
from his note-book, kindly placed at my disposal by 
■*The Old Hunter,' are highly interesting and illus- 
trative. He says: 

u i I left my camp on Lake Mooin (the lake of the 
bear), Liscomb River, September, 1866, in company 
with Peter, Joe, and Stephen as my Indian hunters, 
intending; to cross the next lake to the southward iri 
a. canoe which we had there secreted. On arriving 
at the lake, we found the wind so high that it was 
considered altogether unsafe to trust ourselves on its 
waters in our frail barque. About five o'clock the 
wind moderated, but, as I still thought that we could 
not reach my old calling-ground on the opposite side 
before the decline of the sun, I determined to cross 



40 LONE LIFE : 

to a narrow neck of barren, distant from us by water 
about seven hundred yards. After various perils, we 
reached the spot, disembarked among the rocks, fixed 
a place for the calling-ground should the night be- 
calm, collected our bedding of spruce-boughs picked 
in a neighbouring swamp, and, releasing our blankets- 
from their cordings, prepared for supper. Suddenly 
all was still ; the wind had gone down, and the 
western sky was tinged with the gorgeous colouring de- 
noting a moose-caller's delight — a calm, serene night- 
All at once a cracking of wood was heard away down 
on our side of the lake, and presently more noises, 
plainly telling the presence of moose thereabouts. A 
fewminutes of hesitation, and I induced Peter to sound 
the loved note from aloft; and not long after he de- 
scried a moose at f ally a mile's distance, coming to the 
end of the forest. The margin of the lake on our 
side had been burnt, and was barren of bush or tree, 
except in a few places. Several persuasive calls in- 
duced the moose to show himself upon the barren,, 
however only to return to the cover of the green 
woods, a fact, we all knew, proving him to be either 
a coward or a beaten deer. We coaxed; he still 
came on, showing himself occasionally on the barren,, 
though never answering, and at length was espied 
about three hundred yards off, peering around him r 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 41 

and listening, his huge ears extended forwards to the 
utmost. We thought that he saw us, but he had 
cunning folks to deal with. We did not move or 
call. Down he came, making directly for us, now 
speaking for the first time. I was lying directly in 
his route, and, when distant about fifteen yards, I 
bowled over one of the finest and most cautious of 
his species I had ever met with. He was cast and 
butchered before the twilight faded. 

iiC We supped, and that'night lay replete ; but my 
sleep not being of such a dead nature as that of my 
faithful followers, the crashing of trees and the bel- 
lowing of moose emanating from the same direction 
as that whence came the fallen monarch, struck 
frequently on my ear. At cock-crow I woke up the 
sleeping aborigines. And, severe as had been the 
cold of the past night, we listened long and with 
intense interest to the distant sounds, not the usual 
sound of the cow-moose at this season, but a sort of 
unearthly roaring. 

" c We called, and presently observed two moose 
leave the woods, and approach us on the barrens. 
When about five hundred yards distant from us we 
lost sight of them in the alder bushes which grew 
thickly on the banks of a small brook flowing into 
the lake. Past this spot they would not come : we 



42 LONE LIFE : 

did not advance, so we determined to kill no more 
moose on that occasion. Our object was simply to 
watch. I particularly wanted to ascertain from 
which animal the snorting and fierce bellowing came. 
We had perceived that they were male and female. 
They stopped in the alders for about fifteen minutes 
or so, making a great row, breaking sticks and paw- 
ing the water in swamp-holes with a loud splashing. 
At length we espied them beating a slow retreat on 
the route they had advanced upon, and I determined 
to take the canoe and follow them by water, leaving 
Stephen to prepare breakfast. The morning was 
perfectly calm, fog here and there rising from the 
lake and along the lines of the numerous brooks that 
emptied into it. I may here add that though I have 
named it Lake Merganser, owing to the numbers of 
those birds frequenting it, it would have been fully 
entitled to have been called Rocky Lake, as I think 
that both below and above its surface, rocks abound 
to a greater extent than in any other sheet of water 
in Nova Scotia, and that is saying a good deal. 

" i Stealing over the lake's surface, and seated in 
the bottom of our canoe, we could not well scan the 
woods along the margin, for the rocks on the shore 
were fully eight feet high. However, at length we 
sighted two large black objects ascending a hill. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 43 

Peter called like a bull, and this at once arrested 
them. They turned, and one, for a moment lost to 
sight, appeared on the edge of the barren. Another 
step and he must have descended. It was a mighty 
bull-moose ; he peered at us, and was motionless, while 
we with restrained breath, gazed upon him. After 
standing in that position for some minutes, he turned 
and looked towards where we had slept. I did the 
same, and could plainly see the boy Stephen perched 
upon the rock beneath which we had lain. Then he 
walked five or six steps, turned, and gave us a full 
side view, twice picking some twigs from the bushes, 
which we could hear him munching with his teeth, 
so close were we. During this wondrous sight a 
loud noise was made in the bush three times, when 
out walked a cow-moose. She, like her lord, looked 
hard at us, and I thought was i for off.' Not a 
bit ; she stopped for fully five minutes, then turned 
and faced the hill, emitting several times the angry 
grunt so dreaded by the Indian as a sign of ill- 
luck. The bull quietly took his departure, and 
we watched them enter the forest. This bull had 
only one horn. Peter declared that the other was 
a small stump — a malformation — but I shall ever 
be of opinion that he had lost it in battle, for on 
our return to our rocky home, and when butcher- 



44 LONE LIFE : 

ing the dead moose, we found that he had been in 
the wars, and was much bruised about the neck and 
ribs on the near side. 

Cl i Parting with this most interesting couple, we 
paddled on to the foot of the lake, and called a few 
times at the head of a bog. We were quickly an- 
swered, and up came a rattling moose. He was 
astonished at seeing us, I feel certain, and was for 
bolting, but continued walking along the dry edge 
of the bog. Peter imitated a bull's note, at which 
he turned fiercely round with mane, rump-hair, and 
ears erect, and answered angrily. This was re- 
peated fully six times to our great amusement, at 
length he walked away, making constant 6 bookings,' 
and rubbing his antlers against the burnt trees. 

" c All at once we espied another pair of moose 
coming from the opposite direction — a bull and a 
cow — and expected to see a meeting, perhaps a 
combat ; but although there appeared every likeli- 
hood of such an occurrence, it was avoided by the 
pair retreating into the deep woods. The bulls 
ceasing to answer each other, we paddled back to 
camp, where little Stephen, though he had observed 
all the first part of the spectacle from the rock, had 
not neglected to provide for his ' sacamoiv and com- 
rade Red-skin a sumptuous repast of kidneys, steak, 
and coffee. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 45 

" ' I am a firm believer, and always was, that it 
is the cow-moose that makes the noise, by some 
called a roar, and I was thus a witness to the fact. 
Here was a glorious morning's work without blood- 
shed ! Alas ! last season upwards of fifty moose were 
killed about Lake Merganser. It is a fact that now 
not a track can there be seen.' " 

But to resume my narrative. 



46 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTER IV. 

When we reached home, Sugar was in a great state 
of excitement. Scarcely had we disappeared in the 
morning before he heard a noise at the smoke-house. 
Picking up Cariboo's old single barrel, which was dis- 
carded as long as I permitted him to use my spare 
gun, the boy rushed out to learn the reason, when he 
discovered a bear on the summit of the hollow trunk, 
trying to pull the logs and things off the top that 
had been placed there for the double purpose of 
keeping in the smoke and out intruders. No way 
alarmed, the youngster cocked the gun, but it would 
not go off, although he made repeated efforts, almost 
touching the bear on one occasion with his muzzle. 
However, this plucky conduct was sufficient to alarm 
Bruin, who immediately beat a retreat. 

This animal seems to be one of the most knowing 
scoundrels that it is possible to imagine, for he is 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 47 

ever giving evidence of his being in tlie neighbour- 
hood by attempting to force his way into my store- 
room, invariably doing so when no one is at home. 
I have made sundry bower-houses over which I 
have exercised all my ingenuity. 1 have covered 
the trap in it with the most natural looking leaves 
and grasses, and supplied a variety of new and most 
enticing baits, still Mr. Bruin fights shy and refuses 
to be victimised. Even Cariboo has had a trial with 
no better success than myself, and when speaking of 
the bear says, " That old man be the devil ;" if he 
were, he could not possess more artfulness. 

The cunning of these animals is sometimes extra- 
ordinary. I heard of a settler's farm-yard being 
haunted by one of these canny beasts, scarcely a week 
passing without it making an appearance and com- 
mitting ruinous depredations, but never doing so 
when the good man was at home. In fact it almost 
appeared as if the marauder watched the clearing till 
the head of the house left for market or for his usual 
avocation in the woods, when Bruin would fearlessly 
present himself to the women and children, who quite 
commenced to regard him as a haunting evil genius. 
But his day of reckoning came at last; the homestead 
ran short of provisions, the children commenced to 
look gaunt and thin, for the pigs that were to have 



48 LONE LIFE : 

supplied the little household with pork had all been 
killed by the bear, so the old woman got savage, as the 
Americans say, her dander was riz, when she saw the 
cause of their troubles curveting around as if owner 
of the premises. So she took down the old gun from 
above the fireplace, which never was without a load 
in it, and slipping to the door, took aim over a 
stump, and pulled the trigger, dropping the weapon 
immediately after the explosion, and rushing into 
the house locked the door, never for a moment 
stopping to learn the result of her courage. Till 
Paterfamilias returned at night, no one crossed that 
threshold, for the mother doubtless thought that the 
black-coated savage w T as lurking near to take a 
deadly revenge upon the first of his assailant's off- 
spring that should offer. 

At length the familiar voice of the head of the 
family was heard. Soon the incident was narrated 
to him, a search was instituted, and Bruin was found 
dead within a few paces where he had received his 
death wound. 

This anecdote I state in nearly the words imparted 
to me, and I thoroughly believe it, for the cunning of 
bears is proverbial ; so this creature doubtless re- 
mained under the friendly shelter of the woods till 
it heard the monotonous click of the husbandman's 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 49- 

axe, which told that the only one of the establish- 
ment, whose acquaintance he did not wish to make r 
was engaged in his daily occupation of chopping, so 
sallied forth. It is a notorious fact that if a bear- 
has his haunt in the vicinity of a settlement, he will 
be seen frequently by the women and children, al- 
though the hunter's search for the unwelcome visitor 
may be fruitless for months. 

Now this bear that so frequently visited my 
shanty was doubtless one of those cunning vagar 
bonds who knew as well what a bear trap was as I 
did myself, so I commenced to believe my prospect 
of capturing him very slight indeed, and for several 
days did not visit where it was set. At length, 
when I did so, I found it sprung and the bait 
gone. 

This gave me renewed hope, so I not only re- 
set it, but went home to procure another to place 
in the immediate vicinity of the first. Our larder 
being rather low in its supply of fresh food, I took 
Skye with me in the hope that he would flush some 
grouse during the tramp. 

Soon the second trap was set. Going thus far 
having killed nothing I started for a ramble to pro- 
cure the birds. My success was even greater than 
anticipated, and about sundown I was struggling 

VOI . H. E 



'50 LONE LIFE : 

iiome with a heavy load. When scarcely half a 
mile from the shanty I missed my little companion. 
Of course I supposed that he had run on before me, 
so troubled myself no more about his absence. When 
I reached my dwelling I inquired if Sugar had seen 
him, " No, he had not." Still I was not uneasy, for 
a squirrel or a woodchuck might have attracted his 
attention ; when discovering that I did not join him, 
he would desist scraping when tired, and not finding 
me, follow up my trail. Hour after hour passed, and 
still the dog remained absent. I consequently became 
uneasy, and several times went into the opening and 
caused the woods to echo with my shrill whistle, but 
no Skye answered. Since being ill, I have become 
more irritable and impatient, so fretted and conjured 
up all kinds of probable mishaps to my pet. First, 
I saw a wild-cat spring from a branch upon his 
hack and ultimately strangle him ; next, he had 
come across that luckless bear, which in his fearless- 
ness he had approached too closely, when he had 
been seized and torn into pieces. 

I sat awake all that night, hoping every moment I 
should hear his familiar scratch upon the door ; but, 
alas ! I was doomed to be disappointed. Again and 
again I went out and whistled, and the only response 
was the voice of the owls jeering me. Birds of ill 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 51 

omen I knew they were considered, and their harsh 
maniacal shrieks I construed into a warning of 
•coming misfortune. 

Those who are acquainted with dogs know how 
attached a person can become to them. Skye was a 
most affectionate, gentle little creature when at home, 
fond of being noticed and caressed, yet without a 
particle of cringing disposition, and he was almost 
as intelligent as a human being. Anything within 
dog's comprehension he learned at once, for he 
seemed but to live to do his master's bidding ; and 
with all the above good qualities possessed such 
courage as feared nothing. 

The night ultimately gave way to day, but tardily it 
did it. After my morning cup of soup, Sugar and self 
started to search the ground I had passed yesterday. 
The traps of course were visited, and in one of them 
was my poor pet — dead. I was so overcome that I 
could see nothing ; for I am not ashamed to say that 
tears coursed down my cheeks, as I released the 
corpse of my favourite from the cruel teeth that had 
deprived him of life. Nor was Sugar less moved; 
he wrung his hands and sat down upon the earth 
hard by, looking the picture of despair. At length 
I deposited the body in the boy's arms, and we were 
about to start for home, when I discovered that the 
e 2 



52 LONE LIFE: 

other trap was gone, the heavy limb to which its 
chain was attached leaving a long furrow to show 
the direction in which it had been dragged, and to 
tell how powerful was the animal on which it had 
been sprung. 

Knowing that the brute the trap was attached to 
could not go far, my attendant and self returned to 
the shanty with our precious load truly sad at heart. 
On my bed I deposited the remains, then selected 
some fresh ammunition, and with Sugar as hench- 
man, returned to take up the trail and if possible 
kill Bruin. 

The uninitiated may not be aware that a bear trap 
is never fastened to anything immovable ; for if such 
were the case, the captive would gnaw his foot off to 
obtain freedom. On the other hand, if he can drag 
along whatever it is secured to, he will not resort to 
such a cannibal device. 

The pole to which I had attached the chain on 
this occasion could not weicrh less than one hundred 
pounds, and must have been eleven or twelve feet 
in length ; but for all that more than two miles we 
followed its track through brush, swamp, and wood- 
land, Sugar leading the way, not because he was a 
better tracker, for any one could have made out a trail 
so apparent, but because his eyes were keener, and, 



A YEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 53 

consequently, he would detect the presence of the 
enemy sooner than I should ; for if not cautious we 
might possibly run upon the brute, so as to be at close 
quarters with him before we were aware, and fight 
under such circumstances he was certain to, from the 
ruffling his temper had received from his movements 
being impeded by such a painful attachment. 

I felt convinced from the commencement, from the 
route Bruin had selected, that he was endeavouring 
to make his way to some caves on the edge of the 
river, probably the place where he had slept through 
the inclement weather of last winter ; but to reach 
these must of necessity take some time, for con- 
stantly we observed places where the pole had 
jammed, such, being apparent from the bark being 
rubbed off saplings frequently feet apart; and, of 
course, when such occurred, the ultimately outwitted 
marauder must have halted to disengage the remorse- 
less anchor. 

I have heard, and I believe its truth, that a bear 
will frequently, when trapped, take the pole in his 
mouth and carry it, so as to prevent his escape 
being checked, or the teeth of the trap caused to 
further lacerate the flesh of the part on which it is 
fastened. 

We had almost gained the margin of the river, 



54 LONE LIFE: 

at a place where the trees were less numerous, and 
the brush thinner than was generally the case, when 
Sugar gently glided behind me, and pointed to the 
bear, who had turned back on becoming cognisant 
of our approach, an indication that he was deter- 
mined to give us battle. I had only time to say to 
the boy " Have the other gun ready," when offensive 
action became unavoidable ; for Bruin was advancing 
rapidly upon me, although dreadfully hampered by 
the stick that dragged behind him. No craven 
was this animal, it could be seen at a glance, for his. 
black lips curled up, exhibiting a most useful, but 
still disagreeable set of teeth, while the small eyes- 
expressed excess of rage. Somehow or other — pos- 
sibly it resulted from nervousness — my first barrel ex- 
ploded before I had obtained a satisfactory aim ; still 
it smashed the left thigh. But this warning did not 
intimidate my foe, for, crippled and manacled as he- 
was, he charged upon three legs. My second shot 
caught him at the back of the head, and passing into 
him longitudinally, for a moment caused him to stagger,. 
so that I fully concluded he was about to fall, when,, 
with a convulsive effort, he rallied himself, but the delay 
had enabled me to change guns. Up almost perpen- 
dicular rose the bear ; all his energy seemed to be 
concentrated in a last grand rush, but the movement 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 5& 

exposed his breast, and the third shot deprived him 
of life. 

My prize was a magnificent animal, for he was not 
only in perfect condition, but possessed a splendid 
coat, and, although judging of dead weight in such 
an instance is very probable to be erroneous, I should 
think must have weighed close on five hundred 
pounds. 

How the dog could have got into one trap and the 
bear into the other was long to me a matter of 
wonder, but the elucidation that appears the most 
probable is that Skye struck the bear's trail, over- 
took him nosing about the bait, and then attacked 
him. 

This put Bruin on his metal, and caused him to 
forget his habitual caution, so trod upon the trap ; 
at the same time my favourite, unsuspicious of dan- 
ger, while keeping up the war had the misfortune 
to get into the other. 

On reaching home, I found Cariboo, the old chief r 
and Saucy waiting for me. All commiserated with me 
on my loss, for the Indians, although generally very 
cruel to their own dogs, had taken a great liking to 
my pet. While we were shooting together, I remem- 
ber the old chief saying to me one day in his broken 
lingo, when Skye had done something to attract his 



M LONE LIFE: 

attention, " White man's dog know far more than 
Indian dog, all the same as white man know more 
than Indian." 

In the morning, on the sunniest part of a bank 
that overlooked the river, close to the birch-tree under 
which we usually drew up our canoe, I ordered 
Sugar to dig a grave, I taking upon myself to hew 
out a coffin from a log. Saucy saw my proceedings, 
but said nothing. Soon after I had commenced 
work, she disappeared into the woods. I thought 
that she had departed for home, although it was un- 
usual for her to do so without saying good-bye. At 
noon, however, she returned with several rolls of 
birch bark. This did not attract my attention par- 
ticularly, for the squaws are ever making something 
out of it, birch bark being to Indian women what 
Manchester goods are to English ; but when I re- 
turned from fishing at sunset I learned the reason of 
her temporary desertion, for the bark she had sewn 
into a tiny coffin, and placed on my bunk with the 
faithful little companion of my travels in it. With 
feelings of gratitude deeper than I could express— 
for here was an attention as delicate as it was touch- 
ing, one well worthy to have emanated in the bosom 
of the daughters of civilisation — I turned round to 
thank her. She was not upon her customary seat 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 57 

in the corner as I expected, it being occupied by her 
father, sucking, with loud expressive puffs of satis- 
faction, his favourite pipe. So I asked what had 
become of her. The old chief said nothing, did not 
even raise his eyes from the glowing bowl ; but 
Cariboo answered, " She have gone home to camp 
long since." 

After a moment's thought, I was glad that it was 
so, for, in spite of her ragged clothes and copper- 
coloured skin, I feel convinced I should have thrown 
my arms around her, and — kissed her. 

No one was invited to the funeral, still all that 
spent that night within my shanty came. Skye was 
deposited a good three feet beneath the soil, and not 
a word was spoken while the ceremony was per- 
formed, and seldom could an assemblage of sadder 
faces be seen. Even Poteen's countenance had an 
expression that almost said, " I grieve for my dead 
comrade." 

Next day I planted a birch sapling over the mound, 
trusting that it may flourish, and in years to come 
droop its graceful limbs over the last resting-place of 
a true and noble heart, as if weeping that poor Skye 
had ever yielded up his generous spirit. 

For some days after I was distrait, so scarcely left 
the house. The old chief and some of his people 



58 LONE LIFE: 

who had come to look after him had returned to their 
encampment, loaded with bear's-meat, a prize which 
they most highly valued. Cariboo was also absent 
trapping, in which he had been meeting with more 
than ordinary success, so, with the exception of 
Sugar, I was entirely alone. 

Rain had fallen in the morning ; not your heavy 
downfalls, but what in spring would be called a gentle 
growing shower. By noon it cleared up, so I took 
my rod and went to the river. I scarcely ever re- 
member to have seen the fish rise more greedily, and 
all were of such a size that their landing lost me 
many minutes. One that I had taken, and which 
was more magnificently marked than any of the 
others — and so had delayed laying aside, the longer 
to admire its beauty — was full of spawn, so near 
maturity that it escaped upon my hand. Previously 
I had imagined that the spawning season would 
not commence here for several weeks to come, as 
is the case further to the south. Temperature of 
water undoubtedly controls all these matters, and, 
when such is known to be the case, for the proper 
protection of breeding fish, the close season in settled 
countries should be made to suit each individual 
river. 

On my return to the shanty, to my very great sur- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 59 1 

prise, I met Antoine, also Cariboo ; from the counte- 
nance of the former I knew that he was in anything but 
an amiable temper. After giving him a kindly wel- 
come, I asked him several questions, but he only 
answered me in monosyllables, and looked if possible 
more black and sulky. Behaving as if he was not 
present, I ate my evening meal, chatting alternately 
with the Indians; but conversation did not flow 
fluently, there was a wet blanket hanging over all 
our proceedings. At length the food was removed, 
and, after I had lit my pipe, I inquired in loud if not 
peremptory tone, what was his reason for deserting 
me so long, how his trade had prospered, and whether 
he had enough furs to pay me for the powder, lead.* 
and gewgaws I sold him previous to his leaving. 

"Pay you!" he exclaimed. "Pay be d d I 

that game is played out." 

" Not at all. You shall give me back my property, 
or their value in furs." 

" What if I won't— what then?" 

"Simply, I'll make you." 

In a moment he jumped to his feet; an instant 
after we had hold of each other. As we struggled, 
my eye caught the flash from the blade of his knife 
which he was attempting to draw ; so I seized his 
wrist, gave it a jerk, which disarmed him, then hit 



#0 LONE LIFE: 

him straight from the shoulder, knocking him over 
the kettle containing the boiling hot remains of 
our meal, ere he measured his length upon the 
floor. That he was severely scalded I had not the 
slightest doubt, but, from the boasts I had heard of 
his making, " how he had cheated the Englishman, 
and how he would cut his guts out if he interfered 
with him," I was resolved to give him a lesson that 
would not soon escape his memory. 

My advice to all is, always avoid a row, but if com- 
pelled to fight, do it with a purpose ; half-measures on 
such occasions are perfectly useless. 

But to refer to Antoine. After some minutes I 
picked him up, for he was still insensible or play- 
ing 'possum, carried him to the place where the 
ashes and debris from the shanty were deposited, and 
there dumped him, giving him a parting kick in the 
ribs to recal his scattered senses. 

An hour afterward Sugar had occasion to go out. 
The hybrid Frenchman was gone. 

When the whole scene was over I regretted it tak- 
ing place, but I felt that I had acted rightly if I 
desired to uphold my standing in the neighbour- 
hood. 

The Indian lads had never seen me lose my temper 
before ; I feel convinced they never wished to wit- 
ness it again. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 61 

As I was turning into my bunk Cariboo said, "I 
tell you long since Antoine bad man. Now you 
know lie very bad man." The boy echoed his 
opinion, and in the mouth of a multitude of wit- 
nesses there is surely truth. 



62 LONE LIFE : 



CHAPTER V. 

September 24. — -For several days after this scene 
with Antoine, I was thoroughly upset, for I felt con- 
vinced that as now open hostilities had been declared 
between us, that the war would last indefinitely, and 
that he would stoop to any step to gain revenge, so 
that I should be compelled for self-protection to 
exercise the greatest vigilance. Quarrels such as 
this are much to be repudiated, for in wild countries, 
where might is right, they too frequently terminate 
in bloodshed ; and although I should feel justified in 
taking a fellow-creature T s life in defence of my own, 
still such an action — the sending a human soul to its 
last account when probably totally unprepared to 
meet its judge — cannot but for ever after be a source 
of the deepest regret. Through the Indians, I have 
heard that, after he left my shanty, he proceeded to 
the old chiefs camp, and vowed by all the saints in 



A TEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 63 

the calendar that my heart's blood alone would satisfy 
his craving for revenge. The chief's regard for me 
and dislike to the French-Canadian, induced him at 
once to espouse my quarrel and order the fellow's im- 
mediate departure. To fight against such odds for the 
present, Antoine unquestionably thought imprudent, 
so turned his steps northward, doubtless to the resi- 
dence of the Indians with whom he had been trading 
— a benefit resulting from the course he Jiad adopted 
being, that at least for the present the neighbourhood 
is quit of him. 

The weather now is truly delightful, such days and 
nights of cool breezes, bright suns, blue skies, and 
mellow moons, as cause regret for the loss of time 
passed in sleep, and indent their remembrance upon 
the memory, there to remain till decay has deprived 
the system of its service. Thus all my time is spent 
out-doors, and not a moment passes unoccupied, for, 
turn where you will, gaze aloft, into the forest, across 
the river, objects of deepest interest and fit subjects 
for thought and study present themselves. Although 
I confess to have studied the animal more than the 
vegetable kingdom, it is not that the former is more 
wonderful than the latter, but that my taste and 
sympathies are more appealed to by it, still I love the 
graceful, waving, ever-changing trees, merry or sad 



64 LONE LIFE: 

with the seasons, silent or musical as the winds com- 
mand. Every tree around my clearing I recognise 
as a familiar friend; and, although the cruel axe 
daily culls from their numbers, still it is with regret 
I see the destruction take place that it is impossible 
to avoid. And in the fall of these giant children 
there is something so grand, so heroic, that reminds 
one of the gallant dead who died in harness and with 
their faces to the foe. 

Although not very abundant in this immediate 
vicinity, the giant among trees of these latitudes is 
doubtless the white pine. On firm, dry soil it only 
grows, and where found in numbers, underbush of 
no description cumbers the ground, so from the de- 
lightful subdued shade it yields, and no impediment 
to man's feet, except the various and always beau- 
tiful ferns that cluster about its roots, its groves 
form the choicest of camping grounds. 

To the east, and throughout more settled districts, 
the lumberman has long despoiled the forests of 
their choicest specimens, for unquestionably they are 
a prize valued far above all compeers, but it is to be 
hoped that many a year will yet have to come ere 
this favoured region has its hills, vales, rivers, and 
lakes insulted by the cruel echo of the woodman's 
axe. Many specimens of the white pine, as certain 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 65« 

as I possibly can be without having measured them r 
I have seen a hundred and forty feet long ere a- 
branch was thrown out, while the stem was perfectly- 
straight. As the top of a ridge or the edge of a> 
precipice is a favourite site for this mammoth to> 
select, they thus often form a favourite landmark for' 
both sportsman and lumberman, and the traveller 
entering a new and unknown region may save him- 
self much trouble, if not actual danger, by noting by 
compass the bearing such a tree has from his encamp- 
ment. In magnitude the hemlock ranks next, but r 
from invariably growing in low, wet land, is seldom- 
seen to advantage ; more, its stem at the base is sur- 
rounded by innumerable varieties of brush and para- 
sitic plants, all calculated to detract from the appear- 
ance of elevation. It also has suffered much at 
man's hands, for the strong astringent qualities of 
the bark have induced its adoption for tanning in<- 
place of that of the time-honoured oak. 

The hemlock appears to be a great favourite with- 
both birds and quadrupeds ; the ruffed grouse and . 
Canadian grouse delight in its branches as a roosting 
place ; the woodpeckers, passenger pigeons, cat-birds, 
and even blue jays love its shade during the noon- 
day sunlight; while over its mossy damp roots the 
tracks of the variable hare will be found intersecting, 

VOL. II. F 



66 LONE LIFE: 

each other in a perfect labyrinth. "While living in 
Maine, one of these trees grew so close to my resi- 
dence that the branches touched the window-sill of my 
bedroom in the top story of the house. This tree 
ever appeared to have several squirrels secreted in 
its branches, who, the moment my back was turned, 
would be into the chamber, and turn everything — 
papers, fishing-tackle, pipes, &c. — topsy-turvy ; and 
although these pranks occasionally at first tried my 
temper, I ultimately reaped a reward, for soon the 
little mischiefs became so tame that they performed 
all their vagaries when I was in the room, sometimes 
of a morning presuming so far as to run over the bed 
or perch on the top of its canopy. In due time a 
couple of baby squirrels were brought by their 
parents and introduced to me ; very timid were these 
pretty little things at first, but soon familiarity gave 
them confidence, and in time, I believe, I could have 
induced them to have eaten out of my hands. This 
I learned from the experience I am narrating, that 
squirrels are most affectionate parents, at the same 
time exact perfect obedience from their offspring. 
In this hemlock was also the nest of a cedar bird, 
American representative of the Bohemian chatterer 
— one of the prettiest of the feathered race and most 
charming melodists of the western forests. Here was 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 67 

reared their family, to depart south with the advent of 
winter, and possibly the next year, if no mishap befel 
either, to return once more to the old nest in the 
favourite hemlock-tree. 

But there are numerous other coniferous trees in 
this district beside those I have mentioned : black 
spruce, white spruce, the silver-fir, and balsam; all 
equally beautiful, and lavishly doing their duty to 
give attraction to the landscape. Nor are the hard- 
woods less worthy of appreciation and admiration; 
the beech, elm, maple, and birches worthily uphold 
the fame their confreres have gained in Europe — I 
am not sure, but add to their reputation at this 
season when they first have changed their foliage to 
every conceivable variety of brilliant orange, scarlet, 
or yellow. In the river, several hundred yards be- 
neath the shanty, there is an island nearly an eighth 
of a mile long, its most elevated portions are rocky, 
with rich alluvial soil edging upon the stream. 
Here the dark coniferii form a ridge of emerald 
green along its centre, while the deciduous trees, 
gorgeous in orange and scarlet, make a deep fringe 
around them — an emerald set in the most refulgent 
of burnished gold — the whole surrounded with the 
merriest, mischief-loving water, at one time leaping 
aloft in snow-white spray, at another swinging round 
f2 



68 LONE LIFE : 

in treacherous whirlpools, or reposing in placid deep 
blue pools. At the lower end of the island is a shallow 
of trifling extent ; it is caused by the wash carried down 
by the current on either side of the island's shores, de- 
positing the debris here. As the water is almost stag- 
nant, over its surface has grown a quantity of different 
descriptions of water plants, the broad-leafed lily 
being abundantly represented. To those that know the 
habits of wild-fowl, they will scarcely be surprised to 
hear that this little retreat is seldom without several, 
so it is often my pleasure to pop down suddenly upon 
them. Such visits have their charm at this season, but 
when the wild-fowl had just hatched their broods, 
and the little progeny more resembled bunches of 
fluff and down than animated creatures, to suddenly 
show myself at this nook was a treat, for no sooner 
would the vigilant parent bird become aware of the 
presence of an intruder, than sounding her note of 
alarm she would dash off for the open river followed 
by all her youthful brood, who, in their anxiety not 
to be left behind, half -swimming, half-walking, would 
struggle first across water-lilies, then force them- 
selves over tangled flags and rushes, under, over, any 
way to get forward, comical in their haste, ridiculous 
in their energy, till the open rapids and spray-covered 
stream was reached, where they would bob about 



A YEAB IN THE WILDEENESS. 69 

buoyant as a cork and perfectly indifferent to the 
rude violence of the surrounding waves. 

About ten days had passed since the departure of 
Antoine, when one evening, as I was carrying in a 
stock of firewood for the night's consumption, I was 
surprised to see a canoe slowly toiling up against the 
current. In it were four Indians, who evidently, from 
the deep draught that their birch-bark drew, had as 
much to do as they could accomplish. At first I 
imagined that they were some of my neighbours, but 
as soon as they had approached sufficiently close for 
their features to be distinguished, I saw that they 
were strangers. 

From my having remained still, I had not been 
observed, so when I hailed them, just as they were 
abreast of my position, with a start of surprise, each 
instantly looked towards me, and the heads of two 
persons, who had not been previously seen, were raised 
over the gunwale. At a signal of invitation for them 
to land, the canoe bow was soon pointed for the 
shore, and in a moment after touched the beach. 
Hastening forward to give a welcome to the visitors, 
what was my surprise to see that a white man and 
woman were among their number. In such a strange 
meeting, and so thoroughly unexpected, it would be 
impossible to say who looked the most astonished ; 



70 LONE LIFE: 

however, I did not permit my surprise to cause me to 
forget my hospitality, so gave them a welcome as 
hearty as sincere. Of course, for them to go further 
that evening could not be permitted, but a moderate 
amount of pressure was required to induce them to 
remain ; this I successfully applied, and soon had the 
weather-beaten travellers under my roof. 

Weather-beaten they were in every sense of the 
word, and but for their features and some peculiarities 
of costume, might have been mistaken for Indians. 

The lady, in deference to her sex, I will describe 
first. She w T as rather over ordinary height, with an 
inclination to be stout, and, although considerably over 
forty, had that in her features denoting the past pos- 
session of beauty ; but her eye was one of the most 
expressive I have ever seen, for it appeared to denote 
every possible quality, vivacity, thought, courage, 
and intellect. Her costume, which was composed of 
the commonest material, was made after the Indian 
pattern, slightly Europeanised, the whole being 
covered with a cloak made out of a dark-blue 
blanket. 

Grace is inherent in some women, dress them as 
you will they ever look attractive ; so it was with this 
lady, and as she walked from the beach to the house, 
Gibraltar and the gliding senorettas of Andalusia 



A YEAB IN THE WILDEBNESS. 71 

were recalled to my memory. How often are con- 
trasts seen between man and wife ; in this instance 
it was very marked, for the hnsband was tall, thin, 
angular, and awkward, yet there was an air of gentle- 
ness, coupled with -resolution, that would induce the 
timid to trust and the bold to respect him ; more 
than his wife, he had adopted the Indian costume ; 
in fact, the only thing in his apparel that denoted his 
European descent was the white neckcloth, which, 
although clean, looked as if long unacquainted with 
starch or smoothing iron. 

It is scarcely polite to ask strangers immediately 
on meeting them who they are and where they come 
from; but I was not long kept in ignorance. My 
guests were Germans returning to civilisation after 
sojourning for twelve years as missionaries among 
the Indians of the most distant north-west. In all 
that long period, except what they could learn from the 
clerks of the Hudson's Bay Company, they had no 
communion with the outer world. What self-denial, 
what belief, what faith, does not such conduct as this 
manifest ? and how very few are there among us 
who, even in the Creator's service, would permit 
themselves to suffer such banishment; still this 
worthy couple alluded without regret to the past, 
and with cheerfulness referred to their return. Both 



T2 LONE LIFE: 

spoke and read English imperfectly, but quite intel- 
ligibly, so we soon were engaged in what to me was a 
most interesting conversation. No wonder that they 
were weather-stained and travel-soiled ; over two 
months they had been upon their journey, and I was 
the first evidence they met that they were approach- 
ing civilisation. The descriptions that both gave of 
the scenery and country they had passed through 
made me wish that the season was earlier, and my 
supplies sufficient to have extended my tour into it, 
for not only were the inhabitants totally unacquainted 
with white men, but game and hsh abounded ; how- 
ever, winter in that lone land, which ]asts three-fourths 
of the year, must be a dreary period indeed, for the 
weather is frequently so severe that for weeks at a time 
iat is impossible to leave the shelter of your dwelling. 
The next day after my visitors' arrival, being 
Sunday, a circumstance that I was almost unaware 
of, I succeeded in inducing them to postpone their 
departure till the morrow. The news of their advent 
had reached the Indians at the lake, so by sunrise 
there was quite a levee assembled, and as several 
understood a little English, the missionary thought it 
an opportunity not to be lost for a word in season. I 
fear I was the only one that profited by his zeal, and 
.that was only in a partial manner, for frequently I 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 73 

•could not understand entire sentences from the im- 
perfect manner that lie spoke my native language. 
This, however, did not prevent his audience listening 
with devout attention, and the grave, serious look of 
the Indians would have done honour to any con- 
gregation. This German was much to be admired, 
-and exactly the type of person that should be selected 
for the life he led, for he was devout without being 
fanatical, earnest yet not harsh, an excellent me- 
chanic as well as a scholar. In fact, just such a 
person as I have imagined our own Livingstone to 
be, judging from the descriptions I have heard of 
him on the banks of the Clyde from those who knew 
him in his early days, and long ere he was so widely 
known to fame. Over our pipes, for he was a great 
smoker, and seemed to appreciate the quality of 
my supply, he narrated to me one adventure that 
showed that, although by choice a man of peace, he 
still could be, if emergency demanded, a man of war. 
A couple of years after his arrival among the 
Indians, where he had established his mission, some 
strange natives came to visit him. His apparently 
utter def encelessness induced them to form a plan of 
appropriating his property. An opportunity pre- 
sented itself to the Red-skins, at least they thought 
so, by my guest and his wife going out together to 



74 LONE LIFE: 

obtain a supply of fish. But before his reverence 
had been long engaged, an accident happened to his 
tackle that induced his return home ; to his surprise, 
on entering the hut, he beheld half a dozen savages 
preparing his effects for immediate transportation. 
Detected, the thieves did not disguise what was 
their intention, and were now prepared to carry it 
out by force. The good man argued with them, 
pointed out the heinousness of their conduct, their 
injustice to himself, who had never robbed them ; 
but all was vain, and insolence and threats were 
returned, so as he expressed it, " although a soldier of 
Christ more forcible means had to be adopted than 
generally employed by them." So he seized a club 
that had been a broom-handle ; his foes, nothing loth, 
met him, and hard and fast became the fight, his 
knowledge in fencing serving him good purpose. 
Early in the scrimmage two got knocked down, but 
affairs looked still doubtful when the doctor's wife 
arrived, and her presence turned the tide of battle 
into an ignominious hasty retreat. 

At length the day of rest was spent and Monday 
came — a calm, bright, joyous morning; in fact, 
exactly such a one as would tempt the most in- 
veterate opponent to locomotion to be up and going, 
so the longer to enjoy the society of my new friends, 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 75 

I determined to accompany them to their first halt- 
ing-place, pass the night with them, and return by 
land on the succeeding day. Before starting, although 
it was not without many protests against my liberality, 
I was delighted to be able to supply them with one or 
two trifling luxuries and a fair supply of smoked 
venison and fish, for heretofore — up to the date of 
their reaching my residence — they were compelled 
almost entirely to depend for food upon what their 
Indians could procure. 

One trifling gift I was able to make them seemed 
to be regarded with special favour ; this was no other 
than the ordinary buhl spoon bait. The missionary 
had never seen one before, and in a moment recog- 
nised its importance as a food supplier during a 
journey which was nearly entirely by water. Al- 
though the spoon bait is a very simple piece of fish- 
ing tackle for the expert disciple of Isaak Walton to 
learn the use of, the tyro would immensely benefit 
by an initiatory lesson, so as soon as we got clear of 
the first rapid, at the entrance to a long stretch of 
comparatively still water, opposite what has long been 
known by me as Otter Eock, the line was paid out, 
and the hooks soon after became fast in a gallant 
fish ; in an hour as many were secured as could be 
utilised, so we desisted from further slaughter. 



76 LONE LIFE : 

The Indians who acted as canoe-men to my visitors 
I have so far said nothing about, for they had only 
been in the service of my friends a couple of weeks, 
their home being about a hundred miles to the north 
of our present position. In manners and appear- 
ance they much resembled the aborigines that dwelt 
near me, and, doubtless, were an offshoot of the same 
race, for their language, although not identically the 
same, was so very similar, that they conversed with 
each other with ordinary fluency. 

Indians that belong to different tribes are generally 
as ignorant of each other's language as a Cockney 
costermonger is of German or French ; this, possibly 
incorrectly, causes me to believe that our present 
canoe-men and the people around me are sprung 
from the same stock. They also possessed a smatter- 
ing of the lingo of the north-west traders, which is 
a strange jargon of bad French and worse English, 
doubtless acquired about some of the Hudson's Bay 
forts. This was the third change of guides and canoe- 
men the missionary had made since his departure from 
his distant station, such course being absolutely ne- 
cessary, as the Indian seldom knows anything of a 
country beyond the limits of their tribe's accepted 
demesne, and generally evinces the strongest anti- 
pathy to cross its boundary ; nor is this to be won- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 77 

dered at, for the whole race are so jealous of their 
ancestral possessions that a trespasser is apt to be 
treated with the penalty of death for presuming to 
encroach upon the hunting lands of another tribe. 

From the description of my guests, the further you 
approach to the north and west, the less intelligent, 
and therefore lower in the scale of human beings 
become the aborigines, with the further charac- 
teristics of being more diminutive in height and 
less European in feature. The improvidence of 
these distant races has, doubtless, to account for 
this, for I am informed that, although there would 
not be the slightest difficulty in laying up sup- 
plies to last throughout the season when game and 
fish is scarce, or when the severity of the winter 
places an injunction upon going abroad, still every 
year they suffer more or less from a period of star- 
vation. This is a fault of the Red-man everywhere 
— their universal motto being, let the morrow pro- 
vide for itself. The thief who has been punished for 
his delinquency remembers his castigation, so fears 
again to be dishonest, or only is so when certain that 
he can be with impunity ; not so with the Indian, 
although he has suffered starvation to the verge of 
death from his improvidence last year, he will be 
guilty of the same folly the next season. This pecu- 



78 LONE LIFE: 

liar trait in the character of the aborigines of 
North America will do much towards their utter 
extinction when civilisation increases, and game 
in consequence becomes scarcer. With rivers and 
lakes innumerable that swarm with fish in such 
countless numbers that they can be gathered daily 
throughout the summer in thousands upon their 
margins, with reindeer every spring and autumn 
migrating north and south in droves that rival in 
numbers the migratory antelopes of South Africa, 
it appears incredible that the sparse population of 
this region should ever want for food; but so it is 
every year, and to such straits are they sometimes 
reduced, that even cannibalism has been known to 
have resulted. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 79 



CHAPTER VI. 

On our voyage up the river we saw no large 
game ; the reason for this being, doubtless, that the 
flies having ceased to be troublesome, the deer 
family have removed more into the uplands, but 
wild-duck of many varieties, principally the mallard, 
were most abundant, and in magnificent condition, 
which is invariably the case at the season when the 
wild rice is ripe. This plant is one of the most 
valuable wild cereals of the Western Continent ; it 
grows wherever the water is shoaly and the bottom 
alluvial, provided always that the current is not too 
strong. All birds and quadrupeds that are not 
carnivorous feed upon it; even the Indians have 
their rice harvest, and gather it in large quantities. 
The grain is smaller and darker than the rice used in 
civilisation, but it is much sweeter and less insipid to 
the taste. I have often had it put in soup, and 



80 LONE LIFE: 

found it a most valuable adjunct, while, if it is 
ground and baked after the manner of Australian 
damper, it forms a very passable bread. In England,, 
where so much fuss is made about acclimatisation 
of animal and vegetable life, it is really surprising 
that no enterprising landed proprietor who possesses 
marsh lands or lakes and rivers upon his estates intro- 
duces it, for the result would certainly be an immense 
increase in his show of game, particularly of the 
migratory kinds. In the craw of the woodcock and 
snipe, birds that are by many supposed to live solely 
upon animal diet, I have found it ; the wood grouse 
are so fond of it that they leave the quiet solitudes 
of their forest retreats and haunt the margins of the 
marshes to obtain it ; while wild-fowl of every de- 
scription are so partial to it for food, that while 
feasting upon this, their favourite diet, they forget 
their habitual wariness, and permit the sportsman to 
approach them within the shortest of range before 
they can be induced to flush. 

After a severe day of toil to the Indians, and one, 
moreover, in which we had not made more than 
twenty miles, we reached our camping place about 
four p.m. Release from our necessarily cramped posi- 
tion in the canoe was a great relief, and although 
time was given to overcome our cramps and stiffness, 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 81 

soon a fire was giving forth its ruddy blaze, the 
kettle singing its most welcome song, and a shelter 
of hemlock looking invitingly for occupants. 

Having a great desire to kill some venison, so that 
my friends might have a supply of fresh meat with 
them after their separation from me, I took my gun, 
and, accompanied by the missionary, strolled into the 
woods. Perhaps we talked too much, or paid more 
attention to each other's conversation than the objects 
surrounding us, for we saw no game, although on 
every side tracks were to be observed so fresh that 
they could only just have been made. As the shadows 
began to lengthen rapidly, we deemed it prudent to 
retrace our steps, which we had scarcely commenced 
to do, when our attention was called to a family of 
Canadian grouse dropping from a tree into a small 
space of comparatively speaking open ground. The 
better to observe them, we took advantage of some 
intervening brush, then succeeded in finding shelter 
behind a windfall. Not over forty yards severed us 
now from the birds, which were perfectly ignorant of 
our proximity. I was hesitating whether I should not 
fire at them, when my attention was attracted to 
an animal moving close by. In a moment after a 
bay lynx made its appearance, and, crouching with 
its stomach almost to the ground, rapidly advanced 

VOL. II. G 



82 LONE LIFE : 

towards the grouse. When within fifteen yards or 
thereabouts of them, with its limbs bent under it so 
as to be able to spring with greatest power, it raised 
its head over an intervening branch which had acted 
as its screen, and took a survey of the prey. Its 
eyes seemed fairly to glower upon the birds. In 
this position it remained some minutes with an in- 
tentness in its expression, a craving for blood, that 
was almost demon -like. More and more the lynx 
brought its hind legs beneath its body ; once or twice 
it appeared to gather itself for the final spring, and as 
often postponed it. At length, with a bound that 
nearly cleared the intervening space, it dashed among 
its prey, and in an instant struck down with its 
paw one of the little family. Anything more bril- 
liantly or rapidly executed I never saw; in fact, it 
was a masterpiece of the most skilful strategy. 

I am almost ashamed to confess that I would have 
shot the animal, but my companion interposed, 
stating that it only played the part that the Maker 
had intended, and that as it was of comparatively 
little use to us, it would be a sin to deprive it of life. 
How seldom we think on these matters; how much 
better that we did so more frequently. I do not for 
a moment wish it to be understood that the extinc- 
tion of vermin on an estate is unnecessary, quite the 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 83 

reverse, for there a comparatively useless animal 
destroys an immense amount of useful human food ; 
but here, where there was a superabundance for all, 
the circumstances were completely altered. 

That evening, no lullaby or opiate was necessary 
to send us to sleep, for all were tired with the exer- 
tions of the day and the constant exposure to the 
fresh air, so whether the lucifees yelled, the wolves 
howled, or the owls hooted, no one in the morning 
appeared to know, so thoroughly had all enjoyed 
their night of rest. 

At length our last meal together, possibly for ever, 
certainly for a long, long time, was finished, the 
sundry traps deposited in the canoe, and all was ready 
for the start, save the embarkation of the good old 
missionary and his devoted wife. Both seemed loth 
to bid good-bye, and deferred in consequence pro- 
nouncing it till the last moment ; but further pretext 
for delay became inexpedient, the old gentleman in 
consequence took off his cap, thus permitting his long, 
straggling white hair to float in the breeze, making 
him look the ideal representative of what he was. 

" Before we sever, let me ask the great and good 
God, who has ever kept my wife and self from 
all danger, to take you, too, under his guardian- 
ship during your sojourn upon earth, and into hi& 
G 2 



84 LONE LIFE : 

fold when the hour to leave it has arrived. May 
God bless you." 

Shaking hands with an earnestness seldom given 
to the ceremony in civilisation, I assisted both into 
their places, the canoe noiselessly glided over the 
sparkling stream, a wooded point of fir-trees soon it 
had passed, and I was alone, but with one of the 
pleasantest episodes of my life so firmly indented on 
my mind that it must ever remain verdant in my 
memory. 

No, I doubt, and certainly hope that I shall never 
forget Carl and Breda Schmidt, and if they have all 
.the prosperity and happiness T wish, then will they 
receive a full measure of these blessings. I have 
met a great many Germans, and the more I have 
seen, the more qualities to admire I have found them 
possessed of. As husbands, friends, foes, they are 
sincere, and play their part in all with purpose. 

The association of such a person with any un- 
civilised race must have been beneficial in a double 
sense, first, to instruct and teach ; secondly, to give 
its members an appreciation of the white man that 
must materially add to his safety when thrown among 
them. It is a great pity that there are not more 
missionaries like Mr. Schmidt ; the reason being, that 
clergymen as a rule do not, or will not, comprehend 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 85 

that example is far more valuable to the unenlightened 
tban precept. The success of that never-to-be-for- 
gotten good man, William Perm, among the In- 
dians, and the number of proselytes that he made 
to Christianity, was entirely owing to example, 
combined with tolerance of errors in those who 
were incompetent to distinguish right from wrong. 
Thus the early settlements of Pennsylvania received 
for years perfect immunity from the fearful scenes 
of massacre and bloodshed that marked all other parts 
of the Western Continent in its early colonisation. 
The tall, erect, and noble countenanced, weather- 
tanned man, by his side his wife, the patient, enduring, 
and fond partner of his labour, the graceful birch- 
bark canoe and its dusky crew, the bright, clear, 
rippling river, and the surrounding, silent, brilliant 
foliaged trees, would have formed no unworthy pic- 
ture for the artist's skill, and one not unlike what I 
have seen among a collection of historical paintings 
that deck the principal public edifice in Washington* 
By a straight line northward, with slight divergence 
to the east, my route home can scarcely exceed fifteen 
miles; but then the walking is rough, and possibly 
in parts swampy, so I no further give way to sad 
feelings or loneliness, but calling up Poteen, who is 
deeply interested in an attempt to investigate the 



$fi LONE LIFE : 

interior of a marmot's earth, or to get an opportunity 
to worry its occupant, leave the margin of the river 
and push forward into the timber. The charac- 
teristics of the country at first were nice rolling lands 
covered with beech, birch, and maple, intersected by 
innumerable rivulets, the soil appearing to be tole- 
rably free from stone — an objection generally to be 
found in the greater portion of this locality. When 
emigration has swamped that portion of North 
America that is blessed with less severe winters than 
here, the exodus of the pale face will doubtless be 
directed hence, and what a change will come over 
the face of the land ! The yellow oats, the russet 
upland hay, the verdant, closely-bottomed meadow, 
will take the place of the primaeval forest, and the 
echo now seldom waked, and then only by booking 
of the moose or cariboo, by the tapping of the wood- 
pecker, the screech of the owl, or howl of the wild- 
cat or wolf, will reverberate with the child's laugh, 
the axe's unceasing blows, or the bellow of cattle or 
bleat of sheep standing knee-deep in luxuriant pas- 
ture. How few are there who will not like such a 
picture, and wish earnestly that it was in their power 
to be among the pioneers that produce it ; but let me 
tell the reader that a long, long time will pass after 
their advent into the new home — many days, months, 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 87 

years of unremitting toil and privation before the 
change predicted is accomplished, and then not one 
out of a hundred will live to see the desired result 
accrue from their days and nights of labour. It is 
the adage of " sic vos vobis" repeated again. 

I am convinced, too, in addition to the other 
attractions of this neighbourhood, that coal abounds 
throughout the greater portion of it, and at no great 
distance beneath the surface. This conclusion I 
arrive at from having discovered a vein of no trifling 
extent cropping out by the river's bank. 

With the passage of time, the day has undergone 
a complete change, for the bright exhilarating morn- 
ing has given place to a dreamy, lethargic, hazy, still 
day — a specimen of the Indian summer in its greatest 
intenseness. In a modified form, Indian summer 
weather is truly delightful, but when it assumes the 
superlative degree, it is as much to be reprobated as 
the sirocco in the Mediterranean. 

Little caring for the woods when under such de- 
pressing influences, I increased my pace with the 
hope to accomplish my journey as soon as possible. 
I had been walking about three hours, and in that 
time certainly traversed eight or nine miles, so should 
have quite accomplished half the distance home, 
and be entering a country familiar to my eye ; still 



88 LONE LIFE : 

all appeared strange. This rather puzzled me at 
first, but I [consoled myself by thinking that it was 
caused by the distance being obscured by the haze; 
so continued my route. However, an hour after- 
wards, when I had got into a hemlock swamp of the 
very densest and wettest description, I began to 
feel convinced that my bump of locality was not so 
well developed as I imagined, so resolved, very 
much against my will — for I believed that I was 
almost equal to the Indian in finding my way — to 
consult my compass. First I felt one pocket, then 
another, but all was useless, I had forgotten it, left it 
at home, and that upon an occasion when I urgently 
required its services. Was not this most provoking % 
I can assure you I felt it so, but "what can't be 
cured must be endured," so I faced about and endea- 
voured to retrace my steps, so as to get out of the 
swamp as soon as possible. This I imagined at the 
time an easy matter ; any person would be justified 
in thinking so; but it was quite the reverse; the 
more I walked, and, as I supposed, retired from the 
low-lying, wet ground, the further I seemed to 
advance into it, and the more intricate and dense 
became the undergrowth and fallen timber. At 
length, perfectly exhausted, and far from in an 
amiable frame of mind, I sat down with the hope of 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 89 

devising ways and means of escaping from my di- 
lemma. Although I had my ground-rug with me, 
and the means of making a fire, still I was far from 
enjoying the prospect of spending the night alone in 
these solitudes, so, to obviate so unpleasant a contre- 
temps, I ascended one of the tallest trees with the 
hope of learning in what direction high, and conse- 
quently dry ground lay ; but the haze seemed to shut 
in the distance with a veil, and entirely obscure 
the sun's position. More disgusted and more 
thoroughly realising the strait I was placed in, I 
descended, resolving as near as possible to keep a 
direct course and trust in Providence. The tendency 
that all persons have to walk in a circle of greater or 
less extent, when lost in the woods, I was quite aware 
of, so to know that I was not doing so, I lopped off 
an occasional limb, to mark the course I was taking, 
sincerely trusting that I should not again set my 
eyes on them. 5 The solitude, stillness, and sombre- 
ness of the foliage had such a thoroughly depressing 
effect upon my spirits, that I ceased to wonder that 
persons in such predicaments often go out of their 
minds ; I can imagine no more painful situation 
than mine, unless adrift in a boat, on a tropical sea, 
the water without a ripple, the sky without a cloud, 
and the sun pelting down upon the unfortunates 



90 LONE LIFE: 

its fiercest rays ; it is one of such utter helpless- 
ness, where the brain or mind appears to be use- 
less to assist your endeavours, and each sense to be 
at variance with the other. To get excited of course 
was absurd, but you have so great a tendency to 
become so, that one requires to exercise no small 
amount of moral restraint to prevent it; but if the 
wanderer should give way, first to run then to shout 
is his desire, both of which performances rapidly 
increase prostration, and thus deprive you of your 
strength, the very necessary that is requisite to save 
you. Hours had now passed, and not the slightest 
prospect of relief could I discern unless the haze 
that hung over the forest should blow off and the 
sun again become visible. But such was far from 
probable, for night, from the gloom and shadows 
becoming more intense, and the entire cessation of 
the notes and calls of the day-loving birds and 
insects, was apparently rapidly approaching. To be 
lost is never pleasant, but if it had been on the dry 
uplands, where I could have stretched my wearied 
frame upon the soil without becoming saturated 
with swamp water, or obtained an abundance of dry 
wood to make an invigorating companionable fire, I 
should not have had such cause for regret, but here, 
to lay down was impossible, and even if wood dry 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 91 

enough to burn could be found, there was no place 
sufficiently free from water on which to place it. 
There was but one misery to complete my unhappiness, 
viz., mosquitoes, which, although at this season almost 
unknown on the barrens and open lands, literally 
swarmed around me in countless thousands, and if 
I halted for a moment, attacked with such vigour 
as to intimate that they had been kept on starva- 
tion allowance, and were now determined to make up 
for their previous fast. Continuing on my legs so 
long, that from the increasing darkness I had almost 
dislocated my limbs over fallen trees, and broken my 
neck over standing ones, I was compelled to halt; a 
lately prostrated tree was beside me; against its 
trunk I leaned, wrapping the ground-sheet around my 
body to keep out the damp swamp exhalations. From 
my feet remaining stationary and supporting a portion 
of my weight, soon I was ankle deep in the clammiest, 
softest mud, which, now it had been disturbed, sent 
forth an exhalation of the most disagreeable kind. 

I have seen it dark before, so dark that it was im- 
possible to imagine more perfect Erebus < but here, 
under the thickly-foliaged sombre hemlocks it was 
so intense, that I almost imagined I could feel its 
pressure. My pipe had never been previously so 
valued, yet I was deprived of a portion of the plea- 



92 LONE LIFE: 

sure of my smoke by not being able to see the 
circling cloud that arose from it, the glowing coal 
being the only thing to inform me that it was 
lighted. But the craving for tobacco, like the ap- 
petite, becomes satiated, so after a time even that 
solace was denied me. How wearying and inter- 
minable was that night it would be impossible to 
describe, and if I closed my eyes it w T as not to 
sleep, but to shut out the painfully intense darkness. 
I have often previously thought how monotonous and 
disagreeable must be the two hours spent in a sentry- 
box by a soldier at some out-of-the-way post, where 
no human being or animal life is near ; but my posi- 
tion was a thousand times worse, for no friendly 
relief could I expect to terminate my imprisonment, 
no dry sentry-box floor to stand upon. It is wonder- 
ful how a weak-minded or superstitious person 
becomes affected under circumstances similar to those 
in which I was placed ; even people brave as lions 
and fearing nothing mortal, from having listened to 
the absurd stories and superstitions of an old servant 
in their youth, grow up to man's estate with such an 
indescribable dread of supernatural beings, as to com- 
pletely demoralise them. I remember well such an 
instance, although it is years since it occurred and is 
connected with another portion of the world, still I 
will relate it. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 93 

While our troops were in the East, and previous to 
open hostilities occurring with the enemy, in my 
routine of duty I had to take charge of a subaltern's 
guard. The post of one of the outlying sentries was . 
in a graveyard of immense extent, and densely planted 
with cypress trees. It was the custom of the people 
here to place very tall tombstones, ornamented with 
a head-like top, over the last resting-places of their 
friends or relatives. After the manner of Moslem coun- 
tries, this burying-ground was so neglected, that these 
mementoes of the. dead reclined at every conceivable 
angle, or lay prostrate upon the ground, while a dense 
growth of semi-tropical creepers grew in the wild 
profusion of neglect. As might have been expected, 
the jackals of the neighbouring country had selected 
this sombre funeral spot as a favourite haunt, and 
night after night held high revelry among the re- 
mains of departed mortality. In the midnight relief 
was a young soldier, his age about twenty, there- 
fore but lately enlisted. In appearance he was 
tall and well formed, just such a lad as could not 
pass Westminster without being pounced on by every 
recruiting sergeant that chanced to set eye on him. 
Brought up in a sequestered valley in the north of 
Ireland, this youth had often listened to narra- 
tions of the superstitious population about banshees 
having been heard or leprechauns seen, and that the 



94 LONE LIFE: 

voice of the one foretold immediate death, and the 
sight of the other serious misfortune. A change in 
the weather prophesied a heavy fall of rain, so the 
jackals, after the manner of their genus, commenced 
to make night hideous with their unearthly voices, 
and these animals were here almost as numerous as 
rabbits in a warren. About half-past one I went to 
visit the sentries ; a quarter of an hour later I 
readied the vicinity where the lad had been posted ; 
we received no challenge, the place and night were 
not such as would be likely to cause the recruit 
to fall asleep, so I possibly made more than a 
necessary amount of noise that he might become 
aware of our presence. At length I spoke to the 
corporal, who accompanied me, in a voice sufficiently 
elevated to be heard over fifty yards off, yet no 
challenge was vouchsafed me, further we could not 
see the man. 

I became alarmed for the youngster's safety; 
Greeks and Turks, too, carried knives, and were known 
to have used them when plunder or revenge was to 
be obtained. Moreover, there are numerous fanati- 
cal followers of Islam who believe that by taking the 
life of a Christian dog they are insuring a certain 
passport to heaven, so, without further delay, we 
marched up to the post. Pale as a corpse, and with 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 95 

eyes distended with fear, there stood the lad; so 
demoralised had he become from the loneliness of his 
situation, and listening to the constant jeering and 
satanic howling of the jackals, that he had lost the 
power of speech or movement. 

I should have reported the circumstance, but did 
not ; my reward was to know afterwards, that in the 
fields where hard blows were struck and unfailing 
courage before a gallant enemy requisite, this lad 
bore himself as nobly as any soldier that carried 
a musket in his regiment. 

Years afterwards, by a bivouac fire in the north of 
China, near the hour of midnight, a smart, hand- 
some, non-commissioned officer might have been seen 
talking to me; on his breast were several medals. 
It was the hero of the graveyard thanking me for 
having spared him, and explaining that he really 
was not answerable for the inexplicable fear that had 
overcome him. 

But, thank goodness, I was not one of that sort ; 
possibly, if becoming oblivious to the passage of time 
was a desideratum, it might have been better that I 
was, for, although the period of darkness and light at 
this season are about equal, twelve hours appeared 
beaten out into twenty-four. The entire night, being 
compelled to remain almost in one position, from the 



96 LONE LIFE : 

softness of the slimy soil, I was up to the knees in mud 
and slush, while the mosquitoes, doubtless considering 
that they were being thus deprived of a portion of 
their prey, massed their columns for attack on the still 
unburied part of my body ; and from the manner in 
which they thrust their mandibles into me, if one 
could judge by feeling, not seeing, they must have 
been of no ordinary size. 

The insect inhabitants of this swamp reminded me 
of a yarn which, I must say, I had long been sceptical 
as to its veracity. In a certain part of the United 
States, where these bloodsuckers were both numerous 
and large, a settler in the spring of the year took 
his axe and copper kettle into the woods to prepare a 
camp for making maple sugar. He had commenced 
tapping the trees when he was attacked by innu- 
merable mosquitoes ; every effort to drive them off 
was unavailing, so to save himself from being eaten 
alive, he ultimately reversed the copper boiler, and, 
axe in hand, got under it ; but even here he was not 
safe, for the gallinippers disregarded his metal shield 
and forced their powerful bills through it, in the 
hope of striking ile by sticking them in their prey. 
Matters now became serious, and the prisoner com- 
menced to think what was to be done in such an 
emergency. Of all people there are none so fertile 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 97 

in invention, especially when placed in unexpected diffi- 
culties. Now this settler was not one whit behind his 
race, so he turned round and prepared for action. With 
his axe in hand he waited his chance, and as soon as he 
saw a bill of the persecutors come through the boiler's 
bottom, there and then he clenched it. For three 
long mortal hours was he kept at this work ; never 
was blacksmith's hammer plied more incessantly, till, 
poor man, he began to think that he had done the 
hardest day's work of his life. Thus he w^as just about 
giving out when the boiler commenced to move; 
slowly at first it was raised from the ground, more 
rapidly it ascended as it gained elevation, and, alas ! 
the poor fellow saw his bran new pot rapidly going 
off for the next county. 

It's an ill wind that blows no good luck. Some of 
the mosquitoes got tired ; others had their bills pulled 
out, so just as they got across the county line they let 
the boiler drop. Abe Blunt — who was the biggest 
loafer in these parts, and had done so many bad turns 
to the would-be maker of maple sugar, that if that un- 
fortunate had an improper wish, it would be that a 
rattlesnake would get into this unfriendly neighbour's 
bed or a bear chaw him up — was sitting out on the 
fence taking stock of his mint — for he was a rare hand 
this Abe Blunt at mint juleps — when down came the 

VOL. II. H 



98 LONE LIFE: 

boiler smash on his head, and the mint in his garden 
spoilt that year for want of gathering. Our settler was 
not uncharitable, he left the copper with the widow, 
and to this day she uses it for a sieve. My informant 
added, that anybody who was too darned particular 
to take it upon his word, had but to go to Bunkum, 
Illinois, and there could see the copper kettle. 

But it is all very well to joke about a thing 
when it is over; that night, sitting in the swamp 
alone with the mosquitoes singing to me, was not a 
joke, and long before day broke, when the owls 
opened their concert proclaiming its approach, I re- 
joiced even down to the soles of my boots. At length 
the day did break, and light imperceptibly glided into 
day, for the same haze of Indian summer was upon 
the face of the earth. Not having eaten since the 
previous morning, I produced my supplies ; fortu- 
nately they could be rendered palatable without fire, 
and humble and commonplace as they were, no sauce 
was required to give me an appetite. How fortu- 
nately are all these things ordained, for if, after hours 
of fast, and suffering from the prostration resulting 
from it, we were as fastidious in our taste and dis- 
inclined to take food, as we frequently are when 
leading a life of ease and luxury, how soon would 
terminate cur powers of endurance. 

Through all the night a most unhappy dog has been 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 99 

Poteen ; this morning his countenance is wobegone, 
and his manner, distrait ; even the curl with which lie 
was wont to carry his tail over his Imrdies has now 
lost its stiffness, and no longer would be regarded 
by canine acquaintances as ornamental. 

Although we shared pretty nearly alike at our 
morning meal as far as quantity went, he evinced his 
bad breeding by first gulping down his portion, and 
afterwards, while I ate my meagre repast, greedily 
devouring mine with his eyes. But I have long re- 
garded him as a very common dog, in spite of all 
Master Sugar says to the contrary, and all the won- 
derful anecdotes he narrates of his intelligence, cup- 
board love is what his affection most appropriately 
can be called, and if it were not that the Indian boy 
was a warm bedfellow and a good friend to have in 
the kitchen, Poteen would not show a particle of 
partiality for him. A very dirty, unattractive pair 
of tramps we must have looked when we resumed 
our walk in the morning. I wonder what the 
police would have thought or said if we had by some 
enchantment been conveyed to a London suburb ; 
probably they would neither have looked nor said 
much, but taken the fact for granted and run us in 
forthwith. Miserable as we were, there was no 
use sitting down under it ; action was the onlv thino- 

H 2 



100 LONE LIFE : 

that could save us, so with weary gait and fever- 
heated brow I pushed forward, scarcely hoping 
to escape from imprisonment, for no change had 
taken place in the appearance of the day, the same 
heavy mist still hanging over the woodland. As 
far as I can judge it must have been about noon 
that I came across one of the twigs I had broken 
yesterday to mark my position. By it I learned 
that I could not have so far entered the swamp 
as I commenced to suppose — a circumstance that I 
had every reason to be thankful for, because if it 
would only clear up, from the top of a tree I could 
have no difficulty discovering in what direction the 
high lands lay. 

In all forests, except in the densest of swamps, you 
can generally determine the points of the compass by 
observing on which side of the trees the greatest 
amount of moss grows, for it is ever most abundant 
facing where the prevailing cold winds blow from, 
and as that in America is north, with slight varia- 
tions of east or west, according to locality, a toler- 
ably correct line can easily be made in any course. 
My position was much like that which the sailor 
is often placed in, off a port he is most anxious 
to enter, yet dares not approach closer from the 
thickness of the weather, so has to turn his ves- 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 101 

sel's head seaward and wait patiently for friendly 
breezes to disperse the fogs. The friendly breezes not 
evincing any tendency to come, I looked out for the 
most suitable sleeping-place I could find, so that, at 
all events, I should not have to endure the torture of 
the previous night ; in this I was specially fortunate, 
for on a knoll sufficiently elevated to be dry, I dis- 
covered a windfall, the roots of which formed a most 
convenient couch, the open space out of which they 
had been wrenched being admirably suited for a fire. 
Nothing was to be gained by going further, so I 
gathered some dry sticks, started a flame, and so com- 
menced housekeeping. You may rely upon it that 
there is nothing equal to a fire to make a place home- 
like, and my dog also thought so, for he as per- 
sistently blinked his eyes and nodded his head over 
its comforting warmth as I have done when seated at 
church on a Sunday in a too comfortable family pew. 
I have often thought, and I dare say correctly, that it 
must be intensely annoying to a parson to see mem- 
bers of his congregation asleep, while he is giving 
utterance to his carefully-studied and eloquently-ex- 
pressed doctrines ; but this class are generally so 
mild in their nature, so much better than any others 
of the human family, that it is possible they do not 
suffer from that commonplace ailment inherent to 



102 LOSE LIFE : 

most persons, temper ; this is one of those fortunate 
provisions of nature, the adapting of men to circum- 
stances, which we daily see and cannot help admiring. 
Still there are exceptions to the rule, for, if I am 
informed correctly — remember I am only writing 
from common report, but in the word of a multitude 
of witnesses there is generally truth — that when our 
marines had the misfortune to be landed on the mud- 
banks at the mouth of the Peiho River, in China, a 
certain worthy chaplain, who accompanied the expe- 
dition, preferred taking a sword in one hand and a 
revolver in another to carrying a Bible under his 
arm, and rumour further added he used the carnal 
weapons with as much skill as he usually employed 
the spiritual ones. 

But for the mosquitoes and a certain craving in 
my lower regions, that plainly said my stomach 
had not lately been treated fairly, I dare say I 
should have spent a tolerably comfortable night ; 
but these trifles keeping me awake caused me 
to hear the most diabolical serenade of wolves, in 
which Poteen needs must assist. TThy is it that 
dogs will be guilty of such folly? for, by doing so, 
they inform their enemies where they are, in fact, 
almost give them an invitation to come and de- 
stroy them. These wolves were not baying me, 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 105 

probably they were perfectly unaware of my vicinity, 
but fighting over some large animal they had suc- 
ceeded in pulling down. Day at length broke; having 
nothing to make breakfast off, my start was not de- 
layed, and I was able to do it in the lightest of 
marching order. My first step was to ascend a tree ; 
the haze had completely disappeared, a clearer, 
brighter morning could not be desired, and strange 
to say, after all my wanderings, all my search, all 
the discomfort I had endured from wet and 
mosquitoes, high land covered with firs, and hard- 
wood trees was within — well, less than a mile. How- 
ever agreeable this was to learn, I could have 
whipped myself from very disgust that I, who prided 
myself on my knowledge of woodcraft, in my almost 
rivalling the Indian in my power to find my way, 
should have spent two days in wandering in a swamp 
and two nights a prey to mosquitoes, when within so 
short a distance there was ground on which I could 
have been comparatively comfortable, and very pro- 
bably obtained a supply of game for food. Thank 
goodness in a quarter of an hour I was again upon 
dry soil, and never did man feel more thankful than 
when each step of my foot ceased to produce the 
response of splash, splash, splash, from the filthy 
swamp water. The adage, "it never rains but it 



104 LONE LIFE: 

pours," was verified, for scarcely had I been on terra 
Jirma thirty minutes, when I knocked over a brace 
of Canadian grouse, and, through the assistance of 
Poteen, captured a porcupine. A continuance of 
my tramp was then postponed that the inward man 
might be refreshed, and during the intervals neces- 
sary in turning the roasting delicacies that were 
sputtering over a bright clear fire, I could not help 
regarding the disreputable appearance of my foot 
gear, which constant soaking had rendered almost 
totally unfit for the purpose it was intended ; but 
in this out-of-the-way place, where no mortal eye 
would gaze on me, what did it matter, so long as 
my feet were protected from thorns and stones. It 
is wonderful how soon we become careless in such 
matters — how soon civilised man relapses into bar- 
barism ; a lifetime may not be long enough to make 
a gentleman out of a country bumpkin, but a very 
few years will generally change the most highly- 
educated man into the most perfect barbarian, even 
to out-Herod Herod himself. Thus, I once came 
across a person who had been living among the Black- 
feet Indians for nigh twenty years. An English- 
man, he had expatriated himself on account of 
having accidentally shot his brother. Although a 
graduate of Cambridge, a gentleman by birth, few 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 105 

could have detected him from one of the aborigines, 
so darkened and weather-beaten had his skin become 
through exposure to the smoke of the camp-fire and 
the sun. Moreover, he had forgotten to read and 
write his own language, almost to speak it, and 
report said, that no greater fiend was there in fight 
or one who craved more for scalps than this re- 
negade. This latter I can well believe, from the 
numerous decorations each of his squaws wore, 
many of which, I could not help having a strong sus- 
picion, had been stripped off white instead of red- 
women ; but requiescat in pace, the deer hath been 
slain that has fed upon the grass that grew over his 
last resting-place. 

Much restored in health and spirits, and with little 
doubt but that I should reach the shanty before night, 
with light heart and step I recommenced my journey 
homewards. The day was bright, the wind mild ; in 
fact, an air of gladness was over the face of the 
landscape, and all animal life felt it. Again and 
agsun the short bark of the moose echoed over the 
ridges, while the querulous chatter of the wood- 
pecker, now and then interrupted by his pecking 
taps, far from unpleasantly fell upon the ear; still, 
although I did not saunter to listen to these sur- 
roundings, or to note the doings of their pro- 



106 LONE LIFE: 

ducers, to my surprise I still was in a country whose 
features were entirely unknown to me. The sun, we 
all know, sets in the west, so when there were but 
a couple of hours remaining before it reached the 
horizon, I directed my course towards where I 
thought it would dip, in the hope at least of reach- 
ing the river. For an hour and a half I pursued 
this course, when I found myself upon the edge of 
a swamp as dark and apparently interminable as that 
I had escaped from in the morning. The prospect 
of passing another twelve hours in such a disagreeable 
situation deterred me from attempting to cross it, so I 
retraced my steps and sought for a camping place. 
This was soon found, so much against my will I 
resigned myself to the necessity of passing another 
night from home. 

I thought of the uneasiness my little Indian boy 
would experience at my protracted absence, and 
whether if Cariboo, or any of his tribe, were at 
the shanty, they would come to search for me, 
but the prospect of their discovering a person lost 
in such a boundless waste of woodland was as im- 
probable as finding a needle dropped in a hay-stack. 
Although having every reason to be thankful that I 
had escaped from the wet, clammy swamp and its 
dank timber, I could not help growling at my own 
want of skill and forget fulness in not having brought 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 107 

my compass. Many and many a time I caught my- 
self wishing that I had the wings of a bird, or the 
limbs and sagacity of the moose, that I might with 
unerring power direct my course homewards, for I 
commenced to feel a kind of presentiment that my 
protracted absence might bode no good to my gear 
and residence, particularly if such an idea should 
cross the Indians' brains that I had continued with 
the missionary, and used his departure as an excuse 
for escaping from their country. The Red-man is 
ever suspicious, the daily experiences of their lives, 
watching the craft of the wild animals and devising 
means to outwit them, makes them so ; and, although 
they could possibly find no pretext in anythig I had 
ever done for founding the supposition that I had 
bolted, still my absence possibly would cause them 
to conclude that I had. My supply of tobacco has 
got to so low an ebb, that to-dav I place myself on 
half rations ; this did not interfere with my night's 
rest, for, although the owls commenced their chanson 
early and were manfully backed up by the wolves, I 
slept well, and did not wake till daylight, when I found 
the weather lowering and threatenino;, with something 
more than a Scotch mist descending, therefore again 
no sun was to be seen, and I must be guided in my 
search for escape by the mosses upon the trees. 
Constantly descending rain, with every leaf and 



108 LONE LIFE : 

branch loaded with moisture, is not conducive to the 
pleasure of a tramp through woodland, more espe- 
cially if you feel uncertain as to your course, and 
have a strong suspicion that night will bring you no 
relief. I cannot deny having ere this felt depression 
of spirits and that sinking of the heart that ever pre- 
cedes conviction that your situation is fraught with 
danger ; but to-day it increased to such an ex- 
tent that I refused myself rest in case the inaction 
should allow it to overcome me ; thus I kept inces- 
santly on the move, steering, as well as I could, a 
straight course, at the same time carefully avoiding 
being entrapped into swamps. 

Towards the afternoon the characteristics of the 
country commenced to undergo a marked change, 
for the deciduous timber became less abundant and 
more dwarfed, and in many places acres occurred co- 
vered with nothing but a monotonous tangle of briers 
and brushwood. This alteration momentarily raised 
a hope that I had reached the barren, situated two or 
three miles behind the shanty, but the distance was 
so obscured by the drizzle and mist, that all beyond 
a hundred yards of my position was an unknown 
world, so that I might have passed within a com- 
paratively short distance of a most familiar landmark 
without observing it. 



A YEAR IN" THE WILDERNESS. 109 

Poteen, who has been for the last twenty-four 
hours a most unhappy-looking companion, obsti- 
nately refuses to do otherwise than trot at my heels, 
his ears flat to his head, and his tail — generally 
carried so jauntily — dragging behind him. I never 
had any great attachment to this cur, but never has 
he occupied so low a place in my estimation. Having 
come to a collection of boulders, whose outline struck 
me as familiar, I stopped to make a close observation 
of them : while doing so, the dog pricked up his ears 
and listened intently, the expression of his coun- 
tenance giving evidence that what he heard was 
either familiar or pleasant sounds ; for several se- 
conds he stood thus, then slowly walked forward, 
stopped again for a few moments; this last halt 
had evidently decided his course of conduct, for 
he broke into a steady, resolute trot, turning his head 
neither to the right nor left, and rapidly increasing 
the distance between us. Immediately it struck me 
that I was going to be deserted ; first I whistled, then 
called, but all in vain, my efforts obviously only 
serving to increase his celerity till he was lost to 
sight. Ceasing my attempts to recall him, I fear I 
hurled upon his ungrateful carcass everything but 
blessings. But what could it mean % either that 
the dog recognised his position, or that he heard 



110 LONE LIFE: 

voices that lie knew. Supposing the latter pro- 
bably to be the case, I fired two shots in rapid suc- 
cession, anxiously and with palpitating heart lis- 
tening for a response ; hope, fear, doubt, followed in 
rapid succession, till despondency ensued. Though 
chary of my ammunition, for my supply w r as getting 
low — and how much depended upon it — I again fired 
each barrel, but, alas ! with no better result, and their 
echoes had not ceased to reverberate from rock and 
corry over ten minutes, when I renewed my tramp, 
for I could not endure the thoughts and fears that 
kept flooding my brain when I remained inactive. 

It might have been an hour later, when I heard 
the short abrupt call of a bull-moose ; experience 
told me it was the defiant note that the males so 
frequently utter at this season. At first it was not 
regarded with importance, but when it was several 
times repeated, and that so close that a few minutes' 
stalk would bring me within sight of the deer, 
I deviated slightly from my course, and advanced to- 
wards where I supposed the game stood. Having 
passed over the requisite distance, I halted to listen, 
but no sound could I hear that denoted the presence 
of animal life. Again I advanced, again stopped, but 
all was as still as if I were in an uninhabited world. 
At length a rustle, caused by the dragging of a 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. Ill 

brier, followed by a stamp made by a heavy hoof, 
broke the stillness, and a moment after I disco- 
vered the object of my search. So keenly was the 
quarry intent on listening to some distant sound, 
that, although within fifty paces, he was quite un- 
aware of my vicinity. The attitude of the giant 
was grand and imposing ; his mane and the coarse 
hair along his back stood erect, while every few 
seconds he tossed his ponderous antlers with the 
defiant air that denoted no knowledge of fear, or 
stamped his immense foot as indicative that he would 
crush into the earth all that disputed his claim to 
monarch of the waste. Sheltered by a rock clothed 
with a dense network of creepers, I watched with 
repressed breath what, to all admirers of animal life, 
was a charming picture. With a shake of the head, 
and holding his muzzle aloof, he sounded the chal- 
lenge note ; immediately it was responded to, the 
approach of the rival being at the same time he- 
ralded by the loud rustling produced by the rapid 
advance of a large animal through the brush. 
Gazing intently to where the sound emanated my 
champion stood, his head lowered, and body braced — 
resolution and indomitable courage being stamped 
upon his attitude ; nor was he long detained in sus- 
pense, when a worthy foe trotted into the arena. The 



112 LONE LIFE : 

new-comer was the taller and older animal of the 
two, bnt in development of muscle and flesh was 
inferior. For an instant each surveyed the other, 
then rising simultaneously on their hind legs, sprung 
forward with a rearing movement, and met with a 
crash, the impetus and power of which would have 
carried so heavy a body through a brick wall. As 
the contestants came together both fell on their 
knees ; but now the action had commenced there was 
no receding, no shirking, both being apparently alike 
determined to die or conquer. The brow antlers were 
the tines that were altogether employed as weapons, 
and the strength with which they were warded off or 
struck into each other, with an upward sidelong 
stroke, was truly terrific. On one occasion the 
moose which I had first seen came to the ground 
from a heavy blow he had received ; his right leg being 
bent under him, while the other was thrown out far 
in advance; but with a sudden action he succeeded 
in getting his brow antler under the flank of his foe at 
the back of the fore-shoulder, and with an effort that 
must have entailed the exercise of enormous strength, 
regained his feet, at the same time raising his rival al- 
most entirely off the ground. Ten minutes of such 
tremendous exertion soon told upon both, for their 
tongues, covered with soil and blood, hung flaccidly 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 113 

from their mouths, and their eyes distended far be- 
yond their ordinary size, appeared as if they would 
burst from their sockets. Prostration arising from 
the unwonted strain was doubtless the cause, for the 
strife now was entirely carried on upon their knees, 
and closer proximity of the animals to the ground 
made the earth, sod, and brush fly in every direc- 
tion. Even a bull moose, possessed of all the 
vindictiveness and hate that these animals have for 
a rival, must succumb to excessive exertion and 
want of breath ; thus frequent pauses now occurred in 
the combat ; but these were only momentary, for a 
movement of either renewed the war with redoubled 
animosity, again gradually to cease from sheer weari- 
ness. 

There had been an unusually long pause, preceded 
by a terribly severe struggle, both animals being at 
the time on their knees, when the younger elk 
managed to get his tine under the fore-arm of the 
other ; desperate were the efforts here displayed, ter- 
minating by the older animal being thrown on his 
flank, the other at the same instant regaining his legs. 
The fight, I could see, was virtually over, for the 
prostrate warrior was again and again as he attempted 
to rise crushed to the ground. Youth, superior agility, 
and strength, had vanquished the veteran. 

VOL. II. I 



114 LOTCE LIFE: 

I have done many a foolish thing in my life, but 
none that was likely to cost me dearer than my present 
rashness, and past experience should have taught me 
better, for on the Yellowstone River, when, out of 
feelings dictated by the purest motives, I interfered 
to prevent a coterie of wolves pulling down a worn- 
out, effete, old buffalo, the return I got for my phi- 
lanthropy was the old brute making a feeble charge 
with the ungrateful hope of impaling me upon its 
horns. But my assailant on this occasion was in all 
the flush of victory, health, strength, and maturity. 
In this wise it happened. Anxious to witness every 
strategy that was put in practice, leaving my gun be- 
hind me, I had thoughtlessly withdrawn from my 
shelter and approached the combatants. While the vic- 
tory was doubtful, neither of the moose had observed 
me, but now that the battle was virtually over, the 
hero cast his eyes about him, possibly to see what fair 
one was there to applaud his prowess, in doing so his 
gaze fell on me. A moment's thought told me of 
my imprudence ; without hesitation I turned to the 
right-about, and bolted for the boulder; well I 
did so, for a few instants after the deer charged 
past me. However, missing the object of his pursuit, 
he returned to search for it, when the first thing that 
caught his observation was his old foe regaining 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 115 

his legs. To spare the vanquished was evidently not 
part of his creed, so with lowered front he dashed for 
his late antagonist, but again to be foiled, for the 
veteran had risen ere he reached him, and from the 
deep crashing of the brush that ensued afterwards, 
was making the best use of his legs to get out of so dan- 
gerous a neighbourhood. Crestfallen, wounded, and 
humiliated, no longer was this hero of a hundred 
fights to hold his head aloft as monarch of the waste, 
but fear in every cracking branch, every heavy tread, 
the pursuit of his conqueror. 

Without trouble I could easily have shot the re- 
maining moose ; but, although he had treated me so 
scnrvily, I could not bring myself to cut off so gallant 
an animal in the hour of his triumph, and at the 
commencement of his reign over the barren and 
forest. If I had wanted food, it would have been 
otherwise, but the supply I had retained from my 
last camping-place was still sufficient, particularly as 
my faithless dog had deserted me. 



I 2 



116 LONE LIFE 



CHAPTER VII. 

Oh ! genus cards, in thy race are characters to be 
found as dissimilar as among genus homo. This may 
be accepted as a compliment to show how varied and 
innumerable can be reckoned their traits worthy of 
admiration. Let the reader misunderstand me if he 
will purposely do so ; but to be explicit, and crush all 
doubts upon the point at issue, I will further add that 
there are as big rogues, ungrateful sneaks, untrust- 
worthy scoundrels to be met among dogs as there 
are among men. I do not know, still I very much 
believe, if an average in both races were struck of 
those possessing good qualities, but that the four- 
footed animal would take the palm, therefore, instead 
of debasing the biped by calling him puppy and cur, 
we do the reverse. 

After all, Poteen had only deserted me in my hour 
of need ; a grave offence certainly, but not nearly so 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 117 

heinous as if lie had turned his teeth upon the hand 
that had caressed him — upon the companion that had 
supplied him with food and shelter ; but Antoine 
not only had deserted, but attempted my life when 
I only demanded justice at his hands. Thus the 
bastard half-breed Frenchman was a greater scoundrel 
than the bastard colley ; if either had been of pure 
strain, I doubt that their conscience would have 
permitted such ingratitude, so your hybrids of 
all kinds, unless it be between the horse and ass, 
are to be repudiated. Even the last-mentioned 
cross are not always to be relied upon, still their 
wonderful utility, hardiness, and endurance, induces 
you to look more leniently on their faults, for their 
owners invariably receive a very large quid for a very 
small quo. 

Since the death of Skye, I have tried very hard to 
shut him out of my thoughts, but, do all I could, I 
was unable to help comparing the difference between 
his character and that of the deserter. Had he, poor 
little fellow, been in Poteen's place, nothing, I feel 
confident, would had induced him to leave me; but 
fortune does not always follow the brave— his early 
fate, as the death of many a gallant youth, proves it. 

This night was truly a dismal one ; my feet agonis- 
ingly sore from chafing, my garments as wet as it was 



118 LONE LIFE: 

possible for them to be, while rheumatic pains kept 
reminding me that, after all, I was but mortal. 
However, I exerted myself, and built a large fire for 
the double purpose of warmth and to serve as a 
beacon if mortal eyes were within seeing distance ; 
of this I had little hope, yet did it for that inexplicable 
reason that the shipwrecked mariner bales his boat, 
although aware that the frail craft in which he is 
buffeting about on the storm-tossed ocean, ships 
more water in a minute than he can free her from 
in five. 

Painful were my thoughts as I cowered over the 
livid blaze, for never did a fire feel less companion- 
able, and, though not superstitious when in health, I 
fear that I have become so, for the slightest rustle 
among the trees, or an unusual or inexplicable 
shadow, brought dread of lurking danger, and strung 
my nervous system to such a pitch that I could hear 
my heart beat. Is it to be wondered, then, that I 
could not sleep ? Occasionally I might relapse into 
a drowsy state, but soon was brought back to con- 
sciousness by the horrid fancies that swamped my 
brain, and occasionally some of these would assume 
such a ghastly form, that I was compelled to rise, and 
by unravelling them, prove to myself, almost against 
my inclination, that they had no reality. After so long 
and tedious a night, day was hailed with pleasure, 



A YEAl-i IN Til'] wildekness. 1 1 1) 

but, alas ! the weather was again quite the reverse 
from that desired, for heavy fog with occasional 
showers were its characteristics ; but it was more 
injurious to get soaked sitting than when on the move, 
so, in spite of sore feet, numerous bruises, and fre- 
quent twinges of rheumatism, I made an early start. 
Now that I was out of the timber, there was 
nothing to guide me, not even a breeze, which, by 
constantly facing, provided it continued blowing from 
the same direction, a tolerably straight course could 
be pursued, so I feared my exertions were purpose- 
less, and therefore unlikely to result in any benefit. 
Several hours I had thus been on foot, when a dull, 
distant sound struck my ear ; at first it was so sub- 
dued that it might have been mistaken for the 
soughing of wind through forest trees, but this was 
impossible, for not the slightest current of moving air 
fanned my cheek. However, I directed my steps 
as well as I could towards where it seemed to proceed 
from, and more and more distinct became the noise. 
After intently listening for some minutes, I concluded 
it was the distance-softened roar of a swift rapid, and 
as I was unaware of any sufficiently big stream exist- 
ing in this locality to produce such a volume of 
sound, except that which flowed by the shanty, hope 
of release recommenced to glimmer in my breast, so 
with quicker steps I pushed forward. 



120 LONE LIFE: 

The barren ground soon gave place to open wood- 
land of deciduous trees, which became more dense as 
I advanced ; this was cheering, for well I knew a 
rapid water-course would most probably be margined 
by such. The unknown noise now became so dis- 
tinct that it was apparent I could not be far from 
what produced it, yet I began to doubt that its origin 
was what I supposed, for the song of the rushing 
torrent was far livelier in its cadence. However, I was 
not long detained in uncertainty, for, after pushing 
my way through sixty or seventy yards of hazel bush, 
T found myself at the summit of a precipice nearly 
fifty feet high, at the base of which rolled a 
heavy ground swell, breaking with great force upon 
a shingle beach. 

It was impossible that it could be otherwise than 
the large lake on which my friendly Indians lived, 
thus giving me further hope of relief as soon as the 
weather became propitious. 

There are few occasions in my life in which I have 
felt more grateful than the present, for I am con- 
vinced that a forty-eight hours' longer wandering on 
the barren would have deprived me of the power of 
further exertion, if not of reason. 

Seeing that there was no perceptible breeze, the 
size and length of the rollers that broke upon the 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 121 

beach indicated a wide expanse of open water, and I 
had never heard the Indians, who dwelt near the 
embouchure of my river, speak of any other large lake 
existing within the bounds of their hunting-ground. 
Thus while the thick weather continued, I deter- 
mined to remain where I was, so at once looked about 
to find a suitable camping-place. In my search I was 
successful, for on the edge of the beach I discovered 
a cave with a clean, sandy floor, and an abundance 
of old drift wood within fifty yards of its entrance. 
One thing certain, I should now sleep dry, and have 
a roof over my head — two blessings that the dwellers 
within civilisation do not half appreciate, for all their 
lives they have been accepted by them as a matter of 
course. 

Taking the shore of the lake as my guide, it was im- 
possible to lose myself, so I followed its course to the 
westward, with the hope of obtaining some game. 
In this I was successful, for barely had I been 
absent fifteen minutes, when I came across a large 
flock of turnstone plovers feeding among the wash of 
the receding breakers. From the total disregard to 
my presence that they evinced, it was evident they 
knew little of my race. Thus I got within such easy 
range that, at one discharge, I knocked over sufficient 
of their numbers to last ms for a day or two. 



122 LONE LIFE : 

Plucking birds as an occupation may be all very 
well for a poulterer's assistant, but for a hungry man 
anxious to break his fast, it certainly is a confounded 
nuisance ; however, after half an hour's patience, I 
had denuded five birds of their plumage, the number 
I considered necessary to supply me with a good 
square meal. Each carcass on a stick, placed at an 
angle of forty-five degrees, soon sputtered and 
frizzled over the clear wood fire, and were regarded 
with the most zealous care and attention, and far 
earlier than they were ready, supposed to be edible ; 
at length I could stand no longer the savoury odours 
that arose, so fell to with such a will that the whole 
were soon disposed of. Without much coaxing I 
could have repeated this gastronomical performance, 
and only desisted from attempting it by belief in the 
old adage, " enough is as good as a feast." 

The Bruin family are evidently numerous here- 
about, for scarcely had daylight disappeared when I 
heard an angry squabble, in which several appeared 
to be engaged ; but this did not deter me from sleep- 
ing. How and when I entered the arms of Somnus 
I know not, but of this I am aware, that the sun was 
high in the heavens when I awoke. 

The scenery around me was remarkably pretty, re- 
calling vividly to my memory often visited haunts on 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 123 

the lower portion of Locli Lomond ; but the distant 
hills were here wanting that add so much to the charms 
of that landscape. My position I discovered to be at 
the head of a large bay, girt in by abrupt irregular 
rocky cliffs of granite, fronted by a beautiful pebbly 
beach, and the water, now in a state of rest, glistening 
through innumerable twinkling diamond rays from 
its deepest blue bosom. In the offing were several 
islands, all densely clothed with wood, and reflecting 
large dark shadows, perfect photographs of the 
reality. " And can such a charming peaceful scene 
as this be unobserved by human eye V 9 I thought. 
No, it is certain that so fair a land and enticing 
water must long ere this have made the locality a fa- 
vourite haunt of the Indians, for the Red-man, crude, 
ignorant, and superstitious as he may be, has a won- 
derful appreciation of all that is beautiful in nature. 

While making arrangements for my breakfast — 
for I was engaged in the uninteresting pursuit of 
plucking some of the birds I had killed last evening 
— to my surprise a skunk, as self-possessed as if it 
was a domestic animal, walked past me, entered my 
dormitory, surveyed the ground, rug, gun, &c, and 
then advanced towards me. Cool assurance like this in 
a wild animal I never saw before ; in a representative 
of any other race I should not have minded such con- 



124 lone life: 

duct, but to Lave Mr. Skunk's society forced upon 
me, was decidedly disagreeable. To take my gun and 
blow the intruder to pieces was easy enough, but for 
two reasons I did not wish to do this : first, that the 
effluvia would have driven me to shift my temporary 
residence ; secondly, that ammunition was now too 
valuable. It is unnecessary to deny that a skunk is 
a remarkably attractive animal in appearance ; but, 
independent of possessing the power of producing the 
most fetid horrid stench, an even greater objection 
can be urged against it, viz., that, supposing it bites a 
human being, hydrophobia is certain to result. This 
circumstance has Ion 2: been known in the United 
States and Canada, and therefore little surprise can be 
expressed at the war of extermination waged against 
them. Although the bite of the skunk has such 
a fatal effect upon the human family, it does not 
so operate upon dogs, for if it did there would 
soon not be a single one left in the agricultuial dis- 
tricts, as the companion of man never loses an op- 
portunity of worrying them, and seldom does so 
without getting more or less bitten. Believing in 
hydrophobia as I do, still I think that the number of 
persons that die from its effects are very much ex- 
aggerated, and further, that not one dog out of ten 
pronounced mad, and in consequence destroyed, is so. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 125 

When thinking on this subject it is difficult to pass 
by some of the absurd and antiquated ideas of the 
enlightened population of the present period. Thus 
the dog days commence in Midsummer, when hydro- 
phobia (unknown in tropical countries) invariably 
shows itself in England early in the spring of the 
year. Again, muzzles of all descriptions, each out- 
rivalling the other in their inutility and powers of 
torture, are fastened upon Pluto, Bijou, or Caesar, 
who, if possessed of the most even balanced brain 
previously, are certain to have it disarranged by 
being hampered with such an incubus. I have 
on several occasions witnessed an angry crowd of 
inhuman wretches bellowing with all the strength of 
their lungs, and throwing at the suspected animal 
every missile that they could lay their hands upon, 
pursuing an unfortunate dog. Such was but an 
evidence of the blood-thirstiness of our race, and 
the avidity with which they grasp an opportunity of 
giving vent to it, for the victims on each occasion 
I allude to had lost their masters, so anxious to dis- 
cover them, and frightened at being deprived of their 
protection, performed their search in a hurried manner, 
when some fool or assassin advanced his belief that the 
poor creatures were mad ; this was sufficient, the cry 
was taken up, when mobbed, beaten, and terrified, 



12G LONE LIFE : 

the maligned were ultimately killed, after undergoing 
sufficient excitement to cause bipeds, let alone a 
dumb animal, becoming actually crazy. 

But, to return to the skunk : it would neither go nor 
be driven away, the pleasure it derived from the smell 
of my cooking apparently overcoming all idea of fear, 
so as soon as I finished my meal I sallied forth, hoping 
my absence would induce it to change its quarters. 
After a tramp of half an hour I came upon the 
mouth of a splendid stream, which entered the parent 
lake by a channel cut through a regular wall of 
stone, the cliffs on either side being almost perpen- 
dicular and nearly nude of vegetation. In clam- 
bering along the rocks that margined its course, 
for I had now changed my direction inland with the 
hope of finding a ford, I had an opportunity of see- 
ing a family party in all the privacy of seclusion — a 
sight so seldom witnessed except by the aborigines. It 
was in this way : 1 had ascended to the highest part of 
the rocks, and was carefully scanning the descent 
with the view of selecting the easiest route, when 
my eye was caught by the movement of an un- 
known object. In a moment I concealed myself, and 
from my hiding-place took observation, the reward 
being what I have stated. On a ridge at the en- 
trance to a cave or deep fissure in the rocks was 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 127 

situated a shelf twenty odd feet long by twelve or 
more in width. On this, stretched in all the ease of 
indolence, enjoying with greatest delight the warm 
rays of the sun, was an elderly lady bear, and by her 
side two youngsters, almost half grown. A merrier 
pair of young elves it would be hard to find, or two 
that required more keeping in order, or were more 
prone to take liberties with their parent. At the 
numerous absurd antics each cut it was impossible to 
help laughing, and when for some more than ordi- 
nary breach of filial respect the culprit would be 
seized by his dam, and then and there severely 
punished, under less unhappy circumstances I would 
have become convulsed. The energy that was exer- 
cised in securing the disobedient child inferred to a 
looker-on that murder was about to be committed; 
however, it invariably resulted in a few good cuffs, a 
make-believe worry, terminating by the fond parent 
dressing the fur of the captive, the maternal relative 
while thus employed being again and again interrupted 
by the other darling playing some trick upon her. 
With the exception of schoolboys, I do not think there 
are any creatures so brimful of impudence and mis- 
chief as young bears, and truly they lead their parents 
an anxious life ; thus, I suppose, arises the origin of the 
saying, u as hard to lick into shape as a young bear." 



128 LONE LIFE : 

These animals all appeared in first-class condition 
and health, the o;loss of their fur telling the latter 
circumstance. Their principal food is doubtless vege- 
table, but unquestionably, when opportunity offers, it 
is changed for venison or fish. In capturing the latter 
an old bear becomes exceedingly expert ; and, al- 
though possibly seldom observed by a white man 
engaged in this pursuit, the greatest practical 
naturalists, the Indians, frequently see them. So 
to the Red-man is due what I am about to narrate of 
Bruin's sagacity. 

The shoals and bars at the embouchure of rivers 
and brooks are always favourite haunts of fish. The 
bear knowing this enters the lake some distance 
below, and makes a detour by swimming or wading 
till he reaches within a short distance of the stream's 
mouth. With cautious slow step this he approaches, 
driving, but not frightening, all the trout in front of 
him, which, when they have reached sufficiently 
shoal water for his purpose, he dashes among, and 
seldom fails to secure the largest by a dexterous 
move of his paw, after the manner that a fisherman 
would use a gaff. The Indian dogs, I have fre- 
quently observed, practise the same ruse, not single- 
handed, but in a party of several, their mouth instead 
of foot, of course, being employed to secure the prize. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 129 

The other method employed by Bruin to take fish 
is to place himself on a tree reaching over a shallow 
connecting two pools, and as the trout pass up or 
down the rivulet, hook them out. 

But to return to the bears I had been watching. 
Having apparently devoted enough time to indo- 
lence, and each of the youngsters had sufficient of 
their mother's care exhausted upon them to perfect 
their toilet, all got up, and descended in Indian file 
the face of the rocks, doubtless with the intention 
of going to seek their mid-day meal. I can imagine 
the life of Bruin in solitudes such as this an ex- 
tremely happy one, for rarely does he suffer from 
scarcity of food, and as soon as the weather becomes 
cold and boisterous lays up in some snug retreat, 
there to sleep undisturbed through the long and 
almost Arctic winter. In autumn, previous to their 
retiring to hibernate, they are invariably very fat, 
but, on recommencing active life in spring, their con- 
dition has very much altered for the worse. 

Meditating whether I should not retrace my steps, 
I chanced to cast my eyes lakewards, and perceived 
in the distance — so far off that I had to gaze several 
minutes before I could distinguish what it was — a 
canoe. The intervening space between me and it 
was too far for any signal to be useful, so I anxiously 
VOL II. K 



130 LONE LIFE : 

waited, hoping that the crew might point its head 
towards me ; but in this I was disappointed, for it 
passed behind the western point of the bay, and was 
lost to sight. It, however, had scarcely been out of 
view many minutes, when I perceived another follow- 
ing in the wake of its predecessor, but, if anything, 
further seaward; it also soon was shut out by the 
intervening point of timber. Those who have sailed 
on distant seas out of the ordinary track of com- 
merce, have doubtless experienced the lonely feel- 
ings that are generally produced from looking day 
after clay over a deserted ocean. True, you have 
the wild sea-fowl, and possibly the leviathans of the 
deep_> in view, and the interest their habits awaken, 
for a time amuse, but the same intense loneliness, 
if forgotten for an hour or two, will return with 
redoubled power. At length, after days, perhaps 
weeks, of watching, a sail is seen ; with what inex- 
pressible gratification you gaze upon it, for its ap- 
pearance assures you that there are other mortals on 
this earth beside yourself — that no extraordinary con- 
vulsion of nature has occurred and destroyed the 
whole human family, excepting those embarked with 
you. Disappointed I certainly was to see the canoes 
continue their course till out of sight, but, at the 
same time, their appearance told the tale that others 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 131 

of my race were within a distance possibly not over 
a day's walk, and consequently that there was a 
strong probability of my soon finding them. 

Before returning to my sleeping-place of the pre- 
vious night, I went down to a deep, still, sullen- 
looking pool, almost the last on the river before 
entering the lake ; having selected a suitable wand 
for a rod, I tied my line to it, and, with a lizard for 
bait, commenced fishing. Soon I had a run, but, 
striking too sharply, my pole broke a foot or two 
from the top. If I had lost my hook it would have 
been a most serious misfortune; but luck stood by 
me, for as the tip drifted in the current, it jammed 
against a branch, which fortunately was within 
reaching distance. My fish and bait, however, were 
both gone. In a shallow connected by a narrow 
channel with the river I discovered a shoal of shiners. 
With a branch and some stones I cut off their 
retreat ; but, although they were in immense num- 
bers and confined within a space of twelve to fifteen 
square feet, so active were these beautiful silvery 
little fish, that they defied all my efforts to capture 
them, and that although the water was nowhere over 
a foot deep, and in many places barely six inches. 
With a landing-net I might have scooped them out 
in dozens; with a small-sized hook and diminutive 
k2 



132 LONE LIFE: 

bait I might have caught them ; but neither of these 
were forthcoming. Thus my invention was brought 
into play; first I tried to snatch them by rapidly 
drawing my large hook through their dense ranks, 
but the prey were not large enough for it to take hold 
of them. Having thus spent some time fruitlessly, 
a new thought struck me, viz., to drive them into 
shoal water and pelt their densest ranks with stones. 
In this manner I succeeded, and soon possessed half 
a dozen capital baits. Keturnmg with my prizes 
to the pool, I recommenced fishing, and soon cap- 
tured as many splendid trout, an invaluable addi- 
tion to my larder. The improvement in the weather, 
the change of scene, the objects of interest I had 
seen during my walk, and my success in obtaining 
a change of diet, all acted favourably upon me, for 
since discovering that I was lost, I had not felt in 
such good spirits. In fact, during my tramp home, 
an inward monitor constantly kept whispering to me 
that the period of release was near. 

The season was now so late that a fall of snow and 
cold weather might at any moment have been ex- 
pected ; anxiously I prayed for its postponement, for 
the consequence to me would have been so serious 
that it was far from pleasant to think of. In fact, 
whenever I detected myself brooding over the possi- 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 133 

bility of being snowed up in this lone land, I engaged 
myself gathering firewood, or replenishing the blaze ; 
in fact, any active employment that would check my 
imagination hatching up possible misfortune. 

I seldom enjoyed a meal more than that I made off 
the trout I had this evening, and after such the 
spirits ever rise ; the weather, also, was all that could 
be desired, so I sat up late, and smoked my last pipe 
of tobacco, moreover, long familiarity with large 
extents of water, caused me to regard the vicinity of 
the lake almost in the light of the presence of a 
companion, so I did not feel so very, very lonely 
after all. 

I resolved after to-night not to remain longer at 
my present .encampment ; my reason for this was, 
that from its being situated at the termination of a 
deep bay, it was out of the track of canoes going 
up or down the lake. Thus I would push forward 
on the morrow, and, if possible, gain the extremity of 
some prominent headland, from which I would keep 
a sharp look-out during the clay, and a fire, as beacon, 
burning on it at night. 

At this season the Indians, I was aware, captured 
the principal part of their stock of fish for winter 
consumption. This is done after dark with the spear 
and torch on all the shoals frequented by lake trou * 



134 LONE LIFE : 

and white fish for breeding purposes, so if from my 
next halting-place I should not perceive any lights 
on the water at night, I would change to another till 
I did, and then endeavour to direct my course by 
land as near as possible to their vicinity, in the 
hope that the report of my gun or fire upon the 
beach would attract the fishermen's attention. 

Those that do not know the Indian in his native 
haunts, where, by their skill and assiduity in field 
sports, they obtain their support, can have no idea of 
the extraordinary precision and rapidity with which 
the Red-man handles a fish spear. Of all imple- 
ments of fishing this is their favourite one, and 
from childhood upwards they are incessantly prac- 
tising it. 

There are two spearing seasons while the lakes 
and rivers are free of ice, the first early in summer, 
when trout and salmon are passing up the rapids ; 
the other towards the end of autumn, when the lake 
fish assemble upon the shoal gravelly banks to de- 
posit their spawn. In the first the greatest amount 
of agility is necessary, so much, indeed, that a white 
man, although brought up in the woods, never can 
become the red man's rival in it. 

I have often, when opportunity offered, watched 
their mode of proceeding, and, although placed at the 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 135 

spearer's shoulder, never could understand how he 
sees his prey. 

Let the reader transport himself in imagination to 
the margin of a rapid on one of the wild north- 
western rivers ; if the position be beneath a fall, so 
much the better, for the game will probably be more 
abundant and the skill exhibited greater. Such a 
sight I have at this moment under my eyes, and on a 
rock barely covered with water and surrounded by 
quantities of foam dancing upon the rushing ed- 
dying current, stands an Indian attended by his 
squaw. 

Have you ever in your wanderings by meadow or 
loch observed a heron fishing? Have you marked 
its eager intent gaze and firmly set figure? Such is 
exactly the look of the Indian ; and seldom does his 
spear descend without transfixing a struggling fish. 
For hours at a time he continues his labour, never 
ceasing, except for the moment that his squaw takes 
to release the captive from the barbs. 

Spearing on the banks at spawning time is more 
exciting, more enjoyable, and certainly more pic- 
turesque. In the canoe is a vessel composed of hoop- 
iron, in which a fire is made of birch-bark, fir cones, 
or pitch-pine ; from the power of its ruddy blaze, the 
bottom becomes as clear at ten or twelve feet as if it 



136 LONE LIFE: 

were only so many inches distant. In each canoe 
there are generally two occupants, the paddler and 
spearer, and during the density of a dark autumnal 
night tremendous is the havoc made among the 
spawning fish. It is a cruel sport, and one which, if 
carried to excess, would soon depopulate the most 
numerously inhabited waters, still it is wondrously 
fascinating. I have tried it, and enjoyed it, as suc- 
cess was my reward, the quick eye and quicker hand 
being not so much a requisite as on the rapids, for 
the prey seem lured by the light into a consciousness 
of security that enables you with trifling practice to 
strike them with certainty. Another attraction is, 
that this fishing takes place during the glorious still 
nights of autumn, and on the same shoal will be 
numerous canoes, the flame from each lighting up 
the sombre woods, while the voices and shouts of the 
participants wake the latent echoes. 

I had scarcely laid down when my old acquaint- 
ance, the skunk, made her appearance, the smell 
from cooking evidently being the attraction. Watch- 
ing the creature's movements without pretending to 
observe her, once she came so close to me that I 
could have touched her with the muzzle of my gun. 
Gazing intently into my eyes, and scanning my fea- 
tures with that half-curious, half-impudent counte- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 137 

nance animals often exhibit, she evidently thought, 
after mature consideration, that I was unworthy of 
fear, or too insignificant to provoke wrath. I felt 
obliged for the valuation she placed upon me. Before 
laying down, I had thrown the heads and bones of 
the fish into a heap : these Madame Skunk soon dis- 
covered, and doubtless considered she had found a 
treasure. However, instead of beginning the feast 
with greedy haste, she purred over them as if enjoy- 
ing the meal in anticipation. But this was not the 
case ; even skunks have some good qualities about 
them. The purring was a call, for soon she was joined 
by a pair of young ones, about as large as month-old 
rabbits. A mature skunk in its strongly-marked black 
and white coat and scrupulously-kept fur is a very 
handsome animal; but these little ones were perfect 
darlings, and what charming pets they would have 
made if domesticated sufficiently to give up using 
their teeth or scent bottle on all available occasions. 
The parent was not greedy, the choicest morsels she 
distributed evenly among her children, and, although 
thus engaged in parental duties, it did not prevent 
her keeping a watchful eye upon me. However, 
sleep stole over me, sound and refreshing was my 
rest, so that when I awoke day had broken, and my 
nocturnal visitors departed. 



138 LONE LIFE : 

Fish first and plover afterwards, not a bad break- 
fast, I hear the reader say ; my appetite would justify 
any one in coining to such a conclusion, for even 
without salt or pepper, let alone other luxuries, I 
managed to eat an enormous meal. Such a consump- 
tion of viands in civilised life would have shocked a 
looker-on, and gained me the reputation of gour- 
mand. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 139 



CHAPTER VIII. 

By following the edge of the shore, with the ex- 
ception of an occasional clamber over rocks obstruct- 
ing my course, I had, comparatively speaking, easy 
walking, thus, in little over an hour, I had lost sight 
of the thin wreath of white smoke that marked the 
fire of my last resting-place. My course was con- 
stantly intersected by rivulets, few of them large 
enough to carry a boat or canoe, and all exceedingly 
shallow at their embouchure. Off the mouth of each, 
as if waiting for the rains to increase the volume 
of water, were innumerable trout, all apparently as 
hungry as sharks, and perfectly indifferent to danger. 
If means of communication with civilisation were less 
difficult, there is little doubt that most lucrative fishe- 
ries could be established here ; but time, doubtless, with 
the never-ceasing tide of improvement and emigration, 
will obviate this drawback, as well as convert the neigh- 



140 LONE LIFE : 

bouring grounds into arable lands. The latitude of 
my position cannot differ much from that of London. 
Clearing off the wild waste of timber that now covers 
the country will, in my belief, modify the climate, 
and when such takes place, this will become as fine a 
stock-raising country as there is in the world. The 
soil appears too cold and hungry for wheat, but that 
is no reason that oats, barley, and other northern 
cereals will not flourish. The climate also must ne- 
cessarily be humid, from the quantity of lakes and 
streams scattered over it, which will increase the pro- 
bability of its suiting the cultivation of bulbous 
plants. 

In years gone by, the Green Mountains of Vermont 
were the favourite haunts of innumerable moose ; 
now they are the finest and most extensive sheep 
pastures of the United States. In its early history 
it became a fact so well known, that it passed into 
an adage, that the habitat of this wild game was 
suitable for the rearing of domestic animals, thus 
the following lines, possibly incorrectly quoted : 

" The upland and forest where moose are found, 
Eor sheep and cattle are the best of ground." 

Here, again, is an instance of the bounty of nature 
to the human family, for where the giant elk ceases 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 141 

to exist from the encroachment of the white race, his 
place is filled by other food-producing quadrupeds. 
It, nevertheless, appears to me a great pity that this 
truly magni Scent animal, the elk, should be doomed 
to annihilation, for, doubtless, it could be reared in a 
domestic state, when it would require far less atten- 
tion than ordinary farm-yard occupants, and could 
be made to perform the double purposes now allotted 
to horse and bullock. It is a well-known fact, that 
they have been broken to harness, and that their 
speed and powers of endurance far exceeded that of 
any creature known ; moreover, bad roads would be 
of trifling detriment to them; all must know who 
have seen with what ease they pass over the roughest 
barren, or through the densest timber land. Ex- 
posure also would not affect them as it does the 
horse, and a severe winter night passed out of 
doors in no way incapacitate them from resuming 
their labours on the morrow. Greasy heels, sand 
cracks, and the numerous other ailments to which 
the equine family are so subject when neglected, are, 
I believe, unknown to the alcine race; at least, 
among the numbers I have killed I have never seen 
any evidence of its existence. For ploughing, their 
immense weight and powerful stride would make 
them invaluable, always provided they could be made 



142 LONE LIFE : 

sufficiently docile to submit to such monotonous 
occupation. 

But why should such not be possible, for how 
patient has become the ox, yet the race from whence 
he is sprung when running wild in their natural 
habitat, or those that have escaped for a lengthened 
period from man's control, are as shy and wary in 
their efforts to escape, and as bold and dangerous, if 
called upon to exert their courage to avoid capture, 
as any other race. The elk, born of wild parents, 
might be difficult to divest of its inherent love of 
freedom, still kindness and proper handling would 
assuredly do much to reduce it ; but their progeny 
of the second, third, or possibly fourth generation 
would become, doubtless, as patient of control as 
the most commonplace old motherly cow. 

I made such good speed in my tramp, that, by the 
time the sun had become vertical, I was nearing the 
point of land that formed one of the promontories 
that guarded the entrance of the bay. On that ac- 
count was congratulating myself on my success, when 
I heard the sharp, quick yelp of a wolf apparently 
running game ; in a few moments it was repeated, 
several others chiming in. Knowing the propen- 
sities of this family, I doubted not that they were 
up to some mischief, so halted to listen ; nor was I 
long detained in doubt, for within a hundred yards 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 143 

of where I stood a young cariboo broke cover, and, 
with a rush, dashed into the lake, and with rapid, 
powerful strokes soon placed a wide extent of water 
between himself and pursuers. A few minutes after- 
wards three powerful, full-grown wolves came out on 
the beach, wistfully they gazed with longing eyes 
after their prey, but did not attempt to follow. No ; 
previous experience had taught them how futile 
would be an attempt to capture in the water one of 
the very swiftest swimmers among quadrupeds. 

The disappointed gentry not having seen me, I 
had an opportunity of observing them au natureU 
and how wondrously dog-like they were in their 
actions. They had obviously had a protracted run, 
for all appeared much blown, thus a bath and 
drink of pure water were in great demand ; so 
with legs stretched out at length, occasionally 
lapping the water with their long flaccid tongues, 
each did exactly as all who have shot frequently 
observe setters do after a long run. My course 
being past this trio, I did not choose to make a 
detour, so held it. The rustling of the sand and 
stones under my feet soon caught their ears, when 
they turned their heads hurriedly towards me, as if 
expecting the noise to be caused by the approach of 
game. However, my sudden apparition seemed in 
no way to disconcert them, for I was permitted to 



144 LONE LIFE: 

approacli within a very short distance before they 
deemed it necessary to retire ; indeed, so little evi- 
dence of fear did they evince, that I cocked both 
barrels, from a doubt arising in my mind whether 
they were not considering if I would not be an 
acceptable substitute for venison. When they did 
go, they looked dangerous, for there was that ex- 
pression in their eyes often observed in animals that 
are inclined to dispute man's supremacy, a look I 
have frequently observed in an insubordinate hound 
whose temper had got raised from being deprived of 
his prey, or made rebellious through an excessive 
application of the whip. 

Feeling relief at seeing, what I thought, the last of 
them, and to make them believe that they were held 
in thorough contempt, I hurled a rock after the rear- 
most, which but for his agility would have given 
him sore bones, nevertheless it had the effect of 
making him hurry up his previously lagging pace. 

From a secluded pool at the mouth of a stream 
I flushed one of that rare species of water-fowl the 
king-duck, his large double humped head giving 
him a most ungainly appearance. I have always 
believed previously that this seldom seen bird was 
confined to the Arctic regions, and moreover was 
strictly marine. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 145 

Of course, all know that one swallow does not 
make a summer, so it would scarcely do, on account 
of a single specimen being found in a previously 
unknown situation, to discard the experiences of 
authorities. The eider-duck, equally a resident of 
hyperborean regions, has been known as far south 
as the English Channel, heavy gales doubtless being 
the cause. Some similar reason probably induced 
the king-duck to be so far from home. 

I seldom in my previous experience have seen so 
many great northern divers assembled on one sheet of 
water, as upon this lake ; look where you would, their 
large black bodies loom over the clear surface, caus- 
ing them to appear double their size. Moreover, their 
wild startling shrill cry continued to be echoed and 
re-echoed from every tree and crag. 

This unusual muster of these far from common 
birds, and their disposition to babble — for as a rule they 
are not prattlers — foretells in my belief severe weather, 
probably frost and snow, things of all others in my 
lonely position to be most dreaded. But may the loons 
be false prophets and myself a croaker — " sufficient is 
the evil for the day thereof." 

Crossing the neck of a promontory that jutted into 
the lake, instead of following the coast line at a place 
where the brushwood was unusually sparse, I saw 

VOL. II. L 



146 LONE LIFE: 

a wolf. The distance between me and the animal 
conld not be over seventy yards, still there was in 
the creature's manner no evidence of fear or dis- 
trust. His course and mine apparently were the same, 
and he evidently had as little intention of relinquish- 
ing it as I had. However, there was plenty of room 
for both, and I had almost dismissed the circum- 
stance from my mind, when to my surprise I saw that 
wolf number one was followed by two companions, 
about twenty or thirty paces apart, and from their 
looks and manners that I unquestionably was regarded 
with considerable interest. Of course, one wolf looks 
so much like another that it is impossible to be cer- 
tain, still I felt a very strong impression that these 
three worthies were the identical trio who had been 
disappointed of a feast on venison in the morning, 
and if such was the case, well, they were dogging me 
with the intention of screwing up their courage, when 
darkness shrouded the landscape, to make a precon- 
certed attack, so sup on a lost biped, as a substitute for 
the lost quadruped. Silly things, how little they were 
aware that I could at any moment have disposed of 
their lives ; but without firearms my position would 
have been anything but pleasant. With a good club 
or axe, unless a man -was attacked simultaneously or 
unawares, I think he would have little trouble in 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEKNESS. 147 

beating off two or even three of these disreputable 
relations of the canine family. If I had not felt the 
necessity of husbanding my ammunition, I believe I 
should have knocked over one, that his remains might 
submit to the indignity of being torn and gnawed 
by his comrades ; for although the negro adage says, 
u dog no eat dog, no never," wolf will eat wolf, and that 
with such gusto that if a stricken one only be but 
slightly wounded, his fellows will hunt him to the 
death as a pack of hounds will a fox. This circum- 
stance is worthy of Mr. Freeman's attention, possibly 
his philanthropic mind might suggest to the race a 
remedy for such blood-thirstiness. 

Again striking the edge of the lake, I most unex- 
pectedly secured my dinner without having to employ 
my gun, so saved a cartridge. It happened in this 
way. The water was extremely shallow, and into it 
projected a broad spit of gravel on which grew a 
very stunted and sparse crop of rushes. Several 
northern divers, unconscious that any danger would 
result from such a proceeding, had left their watery 
home to rest and sun themselves. In a moment my 
eye detected them, and knowledge of their incapacity 
to take flight when on shore, informed me that by a 
quick dash I might succeed in cutting them off from 
their favourite element. Eapid as thought I made 
L2 



148 LONE LIFE : 

a rush ; the birds amazed seemed unconscious of my 
intention until it was too late to save themselves, so 
I singled out the plumpest — always the easiest to catch 
— and knocked it over with a stone. The chase finished 
I looked up, and not forty yards distant were the 
rascally wolves coming directly for me at a good 
three-quarter gallop. In a moment I dropped the bird, 
placing my foot on its neck to prevent it escaping, 
and cocked both barrels to be ready if it was neces- 
sary to stand on the defensive. Never were rogues so 
disconcerted ; with surprise as thoroughly depicted in 
their features as ever it was in mortal being's, each 
halted, looked foolish, and in a loitering careless gait 
slunk off. 

Now these worthies doubtlessly thought, when I 
made the rush to intercept the divers, that fear was 
inducing me to run and thus escape their pursuit, so 
having a frightened creature to deal with, they would 
without further delay run him down ; but they had 
calculated without their host, as the sequel showed. 
If I had been some timid, unarmed person, I doubt- 
less would have been pulled down, simply from the 
want of showing a bold front. More than once I 
have seen a bull that would pursue all who ran 
away from his wild look and hostile actions, quietly 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 149 

walk off, even abruptly turn tail and bolt, when con- 
fronted by a determined person. I believe there are 
very few quadrupeds that will attack man if he does 
not permit his presence of mind to desert him, at the 
same time it is wrong to say that none will, so it 
would be most culpable to unnecessarily put your- 
self in peril by a desire to exercise it, but if placed 
in an unexpected position of danger, when other 
means of rescue are not within reach, your life may 
be saved by using it. 

That I had not yet done with my attendants the 
wolves was evident, for after placing about a hun- 
dred yards between me and them, they quietly sat 
down upon their haunches and watched with evi- 
dently most interested motives my movements. 

But to my prize, the diver ; it was a splendid 
young bird, in most perfect plumage, weighing up- 
wards of twelve pounds. I felt great reluctance to 
destroy its plumage, as it would have made a valuable 
addition to any museum, but " needs must," &c. 
Although this bird is universally called the loon 
here, the appellation is erroneous, this specimen 
being thelmmer or Great Northern Diver (Colymbus 
glacialis), not the Black-throated Diver (Colymbus 
arcticus) ; both species are, however, to be found in 
the same latitudes of America as comprise their 
habitat in Europe. Although report says that the 



150 LONE LIFE : 

Immer has been known to breed in the north of Scot- 
land, to my knowledge it has not been authenticated, 
while the loon unquestionably does on some of the 
secluded lakes of Sutherlandshire. 

The red-throated diver {Colymbus septentrionalis), 
another of the same family, although far more com- 
mon in Europe than either of the previous men- 
tioned, I have seldom seen on the Western Continent, 
the reasons I attribute this to being that salt and not 
fresh water are its favourite haunts. 

Although the wings of all these birds are extremely 
small in proportion to their size of body, they are 
capable of swift and protracted flight when they 
gain elevation, but their efforts to do so are awkward 
in the extreme. Strictly migratory, however, they 
never come in winter a great distance south of 
the ice line, and seldom at any season are to be 
found in numbers far from it. A few couple annually 
nest about the lakes in the north of the United 
States, but their great breeding haunts are on the 
edge of the Arctic circle. Although nearly all Ame- 
rican web-footed birds that frequent fresh water are 
excellent food, these divers are not much " to crack 
up" on that score, for they ever possess a strong fishy 
flavour, far from agreeable to the majority of human 
palates; but beggars not being choosers I shall 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 151 

accommodate myself to circumstance, so sup on my 
handsome prize, and be sufficiently grateful to thank 
the gods afterwards for what they have sent me. 

Leaving the level of the lake by a gradual ascent 
of quite one hundred feet, I gained the long-desired 
termination of the promontory. It was a noble bold 
headland, with almost a perpendicular front, covered 
with immense boulders, and a few dwarfed birch- 
trees. From it projecting much further into the 
lake than any of the neighbouring points of land, 
and being far more marked in its outline, I felt 
little doubt that it was a recognised landmark of the 
Indians, and as such often approached, so that my 
chance of being rescued by a passing canoe looked 
far from improbable, thus for a hard day's travel, 
performed under very trying circumstances, being 
in a very unfit state to undergo severe fatigue, 1 felt 
deserving the reward I received for my exertions. 

For a signal I was resolved to keep a large fire burn- 
ing near the extremity of the point, so my labours for 
the day had not terminated, as fuel had to be gathered. 
If I had possessed an axe this would not have been either 
a long or very tedious job ; but such not being the 
case, I had to satisfy myself with such dead limbs as 
I found strewn upon the ground, or green boughs of 
such dimensions as could be lopped off with the aid 



152 LONE LIFE: 

of my hunting-knife. Thus it was late ere I turned 
in, when I was too worn out to be able to sleep. 
Moreover, an hour or two after dark it became ex- 
ceedingly cold, which I felt "the more from having 
selected a place entirely destitute of shelter. Further, 
I am not certain that it would have been a very 
safe performance to have permitted myself to doze, 
for the three wolves gave me indisputable evidence 
that they were still in attendance ; if to-morrow they 
have not taken themselves off, I shall be compelled 
to take aggressive steps against them. 

At length a faint line of light in the eastern skies 
denoted the approach of day and the termination of 
one of the most wearying and uncomfortable nights 
I could even desire my direst enemy to have to pass. 
With dawn the wind died out, and the surface 
of the lake, no longer fretted with its pressure, lay 
still, calm, and clear as molten lead, while the distant 
shores and numerous islands looked suspended in 
space. Although far from in a frame of mind to 
be pleased or imaginative, I could not resist gazing 
with admiration on the fair landscape, and thinking 
what future is in store for it, and what do you sup- 
pose my imagination can paint % A land teeming with 
a prosperous, consequently happy population, an in- 
tegral part of the most powerful nation of the earth. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 153 

Although searching the water in every direction 
for over an hour, not a vestige of animal life could be 
seen save the loons asleep upon its placid bosom. 
I had hoped, I had even dared to expect that a canoe 
would be in sight, or a white wreath of smoke indi- 
cating an encampment ; but , alas ! I was doomed to 
disappointment, and might as well have been in an 
uninhabited planet as far as evidences of human 
life could be discerned. Possibly, physically I am 
not much weakened by this protracted detention, 
but my body feels cramped and stiffened, while my 
feet are in such a fearful state from bruises and 
chafing, that it is doubtful, even if it were necessary, 
that I could walk ten miles further ; and worse than 
all, there was such an oppressive languor — an utter 
listlessness of purpose, accompanied by despondency, 
overwhelming; me — that I even regarded death with 
feelings of indifference, so kept quoting, I fear almost 
in irony, " Oh, death, where is thy sting ? oh, grave, 
where is thy victory ?" 

Leaving the margin of the water to gather fresh fuel 
for my fire, I spied the wolves on my return in its im- 
mediate vicinity, evidently looking up the debris of 
my last meal. My approach seemed to give them little 
uneasiness, true, they did not actually dispute pos- 
session ; but they gave way with so bad a grace, that 



154 LO^'E LIFE : 

it was only a question of time and a little longer ac- 
quaintance for them to do so, thus I determined to 
take the high hand, and make example of the most 
insolent. An opportunity soon occurred ; the largest 
of the trio, a powerful, well-made and clothed 
fellow, turned round after retiring a few paces and 
looking me full in the face showed his teeth, after 
the manner of a sulky, cross-grained dog. I there- 
upon pitched my gun to my shoulder, and aiming 
for the centre of his chest pulled the trigger. Al- 
most without a struggle the creature fell, his life- 
blood choking his last respirations. After all, my 
ammunition was not thrown away, for I utilised a 
portion of the hide to tie around my suffering feet, 
the remainder being intended to temporarily supply 
the place of a mattress. The Indians frequently 
eat wolf — to dog flesh they are absolutely partial — so 
I cut off a hind-quarter and hung it out of the way of 
thieves, only to be used when my pantry ceased to be 
better provided. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 155 



CHAPTER IX. 

About mid-day, having failed to see a canoe, and 
retaining anything but an agreeable remembrance of 
last night's sleeping-place, I resolved to search for a 
more suitable one. As it was my intention to keep the 
fire burning on the point, it was not desirable to re- 
move far ; moreover, as the neighbourhood was rocky 
and irregular there was little doubt that it would 
be easy finding what I wished in the vicinity. 

In a ravine, the sides of which afforded shelter 
from the prevailing north wind, so consequently 
was well supplied with vegetation, and through whose 
bottom ran a beautiful clear rill, [ discovered a cave. 
The entrance to it was almost lar^e enough for me to 
pass through without stooping, and its floor was 
covered with beautiful white sand ; in fact, so regular 
was the formation and suitable the selection of the 
situation of this grotto, that it looked more like the 



156 LONE LIFE : 

work of man than of nature. I cautiously peered in, 
but with my back against the light I could not distin- 
guish its proportions. At first I hesitated to enter, 
but on after-thought felt rather ashamed at having 
even for an instant given way to what very much 
resembled fear, so pushed into the dark aperture. At 
first nothing could be done except grope my way, but 
after a time the eye became accustomed to the sub- 
dued light, and I was able to distinguish sufficiently 
far in advance of me to move forward with less 
caution. I must have been upwards of fifteen feet 
from the outer world, when this subterranean pas- 
sage opened out into what appeared to me a vast 
chamber. Having visited the Mammoth Cave of 
Kentucky and other celebrated caverns, I was well 
aware of the danger an explorer runs of getting lost 
in such places, so I retraced my steps to procure 
some bark or other material, out of which to make 
a torch. Soon I sighted a patriarchal birch-tree, 
the lower portion of which 1 denuded of its hoary 
curling cover, and with it returned to complete my 
discoveries. 

Gaining the point in the cave originally reached, 
there my load was deposited, and after several unsuc- 
cessful attempts ultimately succeeded in lighting, 
then to make burn up with powerful flame, the mate- 



A YEAR IN THE "WILDERNESS. 157 

rial procured. Holding the torch aloft I had a 
clear survey of the interior; it was about twenty 
feet square, and but for the rugged walls and irre- 
gular roof might have been supposed a chamber 
in an ordinary dwelling. In one of the recesses, 
that next the entrance on the right-hand side, some- 
thing caught my eye ; at first it appeared to be part 
of a root, but on closer inspection, to my dismay, I 
may say horror, I discovered it to be the remains 
of what had once been a specimen of frail mortality. 
In a sitting position it reclined against the wall with 
the head shrunk forwards upon the knees and arms, 
and although only a portion of the clothing re- 
mained, the body appeared perfect. The skin had 
become of that nondescript brown colour, nearly re- 
sembling mahogany, and seemed to have shrunk to 
such an extent as to leave no room between it and 
the bones for flesh or muscle. Under no circum- 
stances have I a liking for such sights, at the present 
time, with my body enervated and my mind de- 
pressed from my unfortunate position, I was doubly 
unable to endure it, still there came over me an inex- 
plicable fascination that prevented my at once leaving 
the revolting spectacle. 

From the uncovered head hung down a quantity 
of coarse long black hair, a rude stone pipe minus a 



158 LONE LIFE : 

stem lay on one side, while an antiquated flint 
musket, with the stock so decayed as to look as if it 
would almost fall from the metal when touched, 
leaning against the wall, muzzle upwards, rested 
within reach of the mummy-like fingers. In a few 
minutes all this was comprehended. I do not think 
even then I should have left, had not the splut- 
tering of my torch, and the rapid decline in the 
light it afforded, admonished me that if I did not 

CD ' 

collect my scattered senses and pull myself together, 
I should soon be entombed in darkness with the 
dead. 

Ill as I had felt previous to this, doubly I felt so 
now, and could not help regarding the discovery as a 
device of the Evil One to show me what was to be 
my fate. At first, when I felt the fresh air fan my 
cheek on regaining the outer world, my inclination 
was to fly from the locality, as inhabitants do from a 
plague-struck city, but after-thought prevented my 
doing so; and the further I delayed the greater 
became my determination to look again upon the 
ghastly apparition, to learn whether violence, starva- 
tion, or natural causes had terminated life, and also 
obtain some relic that might trace to whom the 
unknown belonged ; for although convinced by the 
hair, pipe, and gun that it was an Indian, yet I was 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 159 

equally satisfied that alone, without a companion's 
sympathy or friend's attention, the soul had de- 
parted for the spirit land ; for if it had been other- 
wise the body would not thus have been left, but de- 
posited deep in the soil at the foot of a tree or over- 
hanging rock after the manner of his race. 

As an abundance of birch-bark was required to 
carry out my purpose, and there was none left in the 
immediate vicinity, I determined to postpone my 
search till the succeeding day, more particularly as I 
had still to find a suitable place to pass the night. 
Further examination of the ravine soon enabled me 
to discover another cave, in fact, the neighbourhood 
seemed to be perfectly excavated with these under- 
ground galleries. The one I selected was rather too 
open in front, still the entrance was well shelterd, the 
recess dividing off into two distinct passages twenty 
feet from its mouth. Here, with a fire at the en- 
trance, I could not suffer much from cold, and be 
tolerably secure from marauders, while the loose dry 
sand would afford me a comparatively soft couch. 
Having collected a sufficiency of fuel I returned to 
my last sleeping-place to have my evening meal and 
a look out seawards. As I approached it, just as I 
expected, the remaining wolves were busy upon their 
late companion ; already the carcass was torn in 



160 LONE LIFE: 

pieces, and fragments of entrail and bone strewn 
around ; the lesson I had taught them had its effect, 
for both gave me a wide berth, not very hurriedly it 
is true, for each carried with him a piece of carrion, 
but sufficiently so to announce that my proximity 
was considered dangerous. Without molestation or 
any attempt to increase their fears, for now they 
treated me with sufficient respect as justified my be- 
lieving they would not presume to become too fami- 
liar, I did not wish to drive them from the neigh- 
bourhood, as in case of necessity I would be able to 
convert them into food. 

Making a distinction, as man ever does, between 
reason and sagacity, placing the former far in 
precedence of the latter, with what ease could 
either of these animals find any place they de- 
sired, travelling towards it with equal correctness 
by day or night ; while I, when without the sun 
for a guide, am unable to pursue a straight line. 
Yes, man may make what distinctions he likes, 
but he is ever too prone to elevate his own race 
to the detriment of the others. Human beings 
build their dwellings to suit their requirements, but 
the birds of the air do likewise; we garner our 
grain that food may not be wanting, when the 
earth refuses to supply it ; the squirrel, the marmot, 
and many others do likewise. Birds migrate over 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 161 

thousands of miles of land and water, yet periodi- 
cally and with unerring instinct return to the same 
spot for many successive seasons ; while the lords of 
creation, although truly they find their ways about 
the earth, cannot lose sight of land, or trust them- 
selves to the pathless forest or desert without calling 
to their aid the use of the compass. As in individuals 
of the human race, no two are alike, each having 
a specialty in his character, so among the quadru- 
peds and birds, all are gifted with qualities positively 
necessary to their existence, nevertheless these pecu- 
liarities are totally distinct in each race. 

Gaining the extremity of the point, gazing with 
an intentness over a prairie of water that caused 
my sight to pain me, still not a vestige of what in- 
dicated the vicinity of human life was to be seen. 
As the atmosphere was clear and still, what an area 
could I cover, still not a canoe, not a wreath of smoke 
was in sight. I might have taken unction to my soul 
by considering myself lord of all I surveyed, but 
never did I feel more thoroughly that I would sooner 
be the humblest of a community than a king without 
subjects, let my demesne be as long and wide as 
the greatest empire of the earth : 

There is a pleasure in i he pathless woods ; 
There is a rapture b.' i Lie lonely shore; 

YOL. IT. M 



162 LONE LIFE; 

There is society where none intrude 
By the deep sea, and music in its roar. 

Very true, I agree with the poet, but these plea- 
sures are enjoyed by contrast. I had now obtained 
so much of it that I longed most earnestly for a 
slight experience of the reverse side. 

While watching, longing, waiting, a familiar little 
note struck upon my ear. At first I thought it fancy, 
but when it was again and again repeated, I turned 
round to see its producer. Yes, my ear had told me 
correctly, for after a critical examination I discovered 
the unexpected little beauty. If I had been in the 
pine-woods, its presence would not have surprised 
me ; but here, some miles from them, I was scarcely 
prepared to find it. For many reasons it deserves 
notice, firstly, from its scarcity in England, se- 
condly from the startling dissimilarities its plumage 
appears to undergo, and thirdly, the tremendous 
power given to its peculiar shaped bill, enabling it to 
sever with ease the hardest pine cones to extract the 
seeds. Many naturalists advance as the reason that 
it is not more frequently seen in the British Is- 
lands is, because it breeds in winter and migrates north 
with the approach of mild weather. In such latitudes 
as my present situation I do not consider that it 
can be deemed migratory, although it certainly 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 163 

appears far less abundant in moderate than severe 
weather. This I account for by its being extremely shy 
at one season and quite the reverse at the other. In 
spring I have frequently found its nest composed of 
the most diminutive twigs and grass, bound together 
with wool and hair, and beautifully lined with the 
latter. Its eggs also possess the peculiarity of varying 
almost as much in colour as the parents do in plumage. 
A typical one, however, may be described as about the 
size of that of the bullfinch, but rather more elon- 
gated, of a cream colour and white ground varying 
in places to a warmer tinting, while the larger end 
is numerously spotted with red, occasionally in- 
termixed with darker colours. They are capable 
of sustaining a great amount of cold, appear to 
enjoy themselves very much in the snow ; but when 
the earth is clothed in this garment, they are ever 
found associated in large flocks, the vicinity of a 
homestead or the margin of a clearing being then 
their favourite resort. My little visitor's tameness 
was not as acceptable as it would have been under 
other circumstances, for it predicted the approach of 
cold weather, a prophecy I did not want, as I was 
well aware it could not be far distant, and disliked 
being reminded that such was the case. As children 
sing to the lady-bird " fly away home," I might have 
M 2 



164 LONE LIFE: 

done likewise, but fear the advice was equally im- 
probable to be taken. However, when the sun dipped 
and glomon usurped the place of its light, the familiar 
twitter ceased and I was again alone. The night be- 
came very dark and the winds breathless, so I did not 
suffer from cold, this inducing me to remain by my 
signal fire till a late hour. All this time I never shut 
my eyes, all desire to sleep seemed to have departed ; 
but memory was hard at work, recalling many 
scenes and days of youth long buried in the past. 
Travelling through the entire retina of boyhood ; one 
moment I was bird-nesting in the woods that margin 
Clyde, another climbing the ruins of ivy-clad Both- 
well Castle, or again fishing for trout or pars 
along the rugged margin of the Avon, or watching 
the crows circling aloft over the rugged heights of 
Cadzow. Again the scene would shift to the banks 
of the noble Tay, Scone Palace, the South Inch, the 
Almond, with the birchen slopes, and rich meadows 
that surround it, for oft they had echoed my school- 
boy chatter of a Saturday afternoon, at a period 
when manhood and foreign lands were looked for- 
ward to with the thought that they were the realisa- 
tion of the charming nursery pictures of fairy land ; 
but how different it has been found, I leave all to 
answer, for whether born in a hovel or in a palace, 



A YEAR IN THE WILDEKNESS. 165' 

with boundless wealth or sunk in poverty, sorrows and 
disappointments chequer the existence of all. Yes,< 
such were my thoughts when a distant light, first 
faint, then gradually increasing, seemed to rise out 
of the distant waters. No ignis fatuus, no halluci- 
nation of brain, I felt convinced it was, and the 
further to confirm my belief others sprung up around 
the first seen ; but, alas ! they were miles away, and 
without a doubt were produced by Indians spearing 
fish, so how could I attract their attention. First 
I thought of my gun ; the intermediate space was 
great, would the sound travel so far or the flash be 
seen so far away, and was it prudent to spend my 
trifling stock of ammunition when its value was more 
to me than gold or precious stones'? No, the best 
plan was to keep the fire amply supplied, and make 
a blaze that would gleam over the waters for miles- 
My discovery had renewed hope, and with its return 
came strength and energy; bruises and ailments were 
forgotten, and I piled on the brush I had collected 
till the hungry flames reached aloft, but without more 
food they would die, so little caring for wolf or bear 
recklessly I rushed into the darkness, and by dint of 
tearing, breaking, and pulling returned with an 
ample load. How provokingly quick such small 
wood would burn, I learned this night, for no sooner 



16<> LONE LIFE : 

was one load brought in than another was required. 
Scarcely could I even steal a few minutes to watch 
the result, and learn if any of the unknown turned 
towards me ; but after all there was nought to be 
gained by doing so, for the moment they gave up 
fishing to respond to me their torch would have been 
extinguished, and I should be in ignorance of their 
approach till their craft came within the glare of 
my fire. 

My incessant labours caused night to nit , by 
rapidly, and day at length broke ; clearer and clearer 
it became, till the sun burst forth ; and could I 
believe my eyes ? could not, I might almost say, for I 
was alone, and not a sign of human life in view. 

" Hope deferred maketh the heart sick." For a 
few minutes I felt so ; but the knowledge, the cer- 
tainty that fellow-creatures were not far distant gave 
me fresh courage, and with it came the determina- 
tion and power to have such a supply of fuel as would 
produce a blaze the coming night that would set the 
whole country-side in a low. 

Being further determined to spare no efforts to 
attract the attention of any eye that might be turned 
this way, I went to the ravine, and cut a pole about 
twenty feet long; its diameter at the butt, although 
not more than six inches, gave me quite an hour's 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 167 

hard hacking before it was severed. To the top of 
this I fastened my ground-sheet, and then erected 
my flag-staff, a beacon that doubtless could have 
been seen, from its elevated position, for many a 
mile. 

All this labour over, I felt I had earned rest, and, 
giving way, thoroughly enjoyed it. Feeling con- 
vinced that my deliverance was near, I resolved to 
have another interview with the tenant of the cave, a 
final look at what circumstances will reduce man, 
the proud lord of the creation, to. Well provided 
with birch-bark, I entered. I thought I perceived a 
dank and unhealthy smell. Previously I had not 
observed it. The knowledge that it was a charnel- 
house possibly might have caused me to imagine 
such. But curiosity induced me to go on with a 
labour which certainly was not one of love. When 
the bark had sufficiently burnt up, I commenced my 
examination. Fragments of an old blanket -coat 
partially draped the figure. Without disturbing the 
position, I removed the covering from the chest, 
knowing that the aborigines invariably wear some 
ornament around the neck. Nor was I mistaken, 
for a small glittering piece of metal fell to the 
ground. 

On examination, in the uncertain light of the 



168 lone life: 

flickering blaze, I could discover no impression 
on its surface, for it was worn smooth as a coin 
that had long been in circulation. Feeling no 
compunction, I appropriated it. Among the sand, 
and close by the body, I exhumed an iron box, a 
well-worn rusty knife, also a powder-horn ; these I 
took ; but the gun, useless from its deep incrus- 
tation of rust, I left, for it was valueless to me, and a 
most fitting emblem to indicate the life the departed 
had led. But when will human eyes behold it? 
Long, very long, probably, is that time distant ; and 
then it will possibly be those of an exploring white 
man, and not those of the deceased's own race, after 
the precursors of colonisation arrive here to set up 
their household gods. 

To find myself in the broad stare of daylight again 
was a relief ; but curiosity to examine my relics did 
not long brook delay. The powder-horn was not 
empty, but the quality was of the poorest description ; 
the knife was such as is usually employed in the 
Tndian trade, but without a mark to indicate where 
manufactured ; while the little box was of that pattern 
which is usually employed by sailors — such a one 
possibly as Molly gave her lover Tom in the dear old 
charming song of " Wapping Old Stairs." With a 
great effort I opened it — for that coroding fiend rust 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 169 

had on it placed his stamp — when two flints, a 
steel pricker, and a piece of plug tobacco fell out. 
Small, truly, was the stock of this poor fellow's gear. 
Fancy spending life, possibly a long one, and sighing 
it out at last with no more worldly possessions ! That 
he had met the white man was evident, and visited 
their trading posts yearly, or how could he be pos- 
sessed even of these ? Poor fellow ! was he missed 
when first his absence was perceived, or was he ? 
like thousands of others, regarded but as a machine,, 
in whom no interest is taken when they cease to bring 
the supply that increases the trader's wealth ? Truly, 
the poor Indians' is a sad fate, driven, year from 
year, further from the homes of their fathers, the 
wild game and fish — their staff of life — annihilated, 
and all this sacrifice expected to be submitted to with- 
out murmur or attempt to gain redress. But the 
medal I had forgotten. Close examination revealed 
it to be one of those given by the Catholic missionaries 
to their proselytes. What a burlesque must this 
poor descendant of the owners of the grand American 
demesne have thought the creed that taught him 
love, goodwill, and fellowship with those who, year 
by year, were despoiling him and his of their just 
inheritance ! But the Indian problem is a painful 
mystery, which far wiser heads than mine have tried 



170 LONE LIFE : 

in vain to satisfactorily solve. Certain it is that the 
two races, the European and original American, can- 
not thrive together, the prosperity of one being anni- 
hilation to the other. Thus the weaker must give 
place to the . stronger ; as becometh the faith you 
profess let their downfall be made easy; be gentle, 
be merciful, for they have suffered much. 



A YEAli IN THE WILDERNESS. 171 



CHAPTER X. 

Feeling tired, and much disposed for an hour or 
two's sleep, I directed my steps to the other cave for 
the purpose of having a nap ; for I had resolved to 
pass the coming night watching, as I had far more 
hope of my signal fire attracting attention than the 
flag that fluttered from the pole. Having stretched 
myself in the most luxurious position, do what I 
would I could not drive out of my mind a longing to 
make use of the piece of tobacco I had so lately ob- 
tained. Although I wished to argue with myself that 
such was not the case, yet there is no doubt that I 
hankered after a pipe from the dead man's stock. 
Still there was something repulsive in the deed, and 
qualms of conscience arose on the propriety of doing 
so. But after all, it was as bad to appropriate it as 
to use it ; the dead no longer required it, and I did — 
the necessities of the living had a right to take pre- 



172 LONE LIFE: 

cedence. Never was a piece of plug tobacco harder 
to get a knife through, and when I succeeded the 
portion detached crumbled into dust ; but all these 
minute particles were carefully preserved till suffi- 
cient were obtained to afford a smoke ; not a bouncing 
big pipeful, as I could have desired, but sufficient to 
fill the top of the bowl, the bottom being first provided 
with a good foundation of birch twigs chopped fine. 
After a long sea voyage, or a sojourn in distant lands, 
on arriving on English soil, the first thing I invariably 
do is to call for a pint pewter of bitter beer, and the 
intense satisfaction from those draughts is long re- 
membered; but the pleasure from this smoke af- 
forded me satisfaction never to be forgotten. The 
familiar flavour, the circling white wreath that rose 
round my head, even the sight of the wooden bowl 
projecting beyond my nose, recalled happy me- 
mories, and softened down the loneliness of my posi- 
tion. To say that I felt reconciled would be wrong, 
but that I looked upon my situation in a much more 
hopeful light is the truth ; and that grateful lethargy 
to the wearied that precedes sleep came, and I glided 
into the realms of unexplored dreamland. How long 
I had been oblivious to the affairs of this world I 
know not, when I was awakened by something rush- 
ing past me. In an instant I sprang to my feet ; to 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 173 

obtain a knowledge of the cause was but the work of 
a moment. The danger of my position, with equal 
rapidity, struck me, and to avoid it, felt that nought 
could be done to save myself, but struggle as man 
only can when life or death is to be the result. A 
she bear and her cub had made this cave their home. 
When I had appropriated it both had been out on a 
foray. The hurried entrance of the youngster had 
caused him to pass me before aware of my presence. 
So now I stood between a half-grown bear, whose 
outline I could just trace in the uncertain light, and 
the mature animal desirous of joining her progeny. 
That the young one would not muster courage to 
come back past me, I felt convinced ; that the old 
one would attack me for intervening between them, 
I felt certain. There was only one enemy to dread ; 
but in the contracted limit of the cave, where light 
was uncertain, and the foe of enormous power, there 
was much in such a conflict to fear. My gun, never 
now separated from me, was in my hand ; each barrel 
held the life of a foe quite as formidable if properly 
directed; but then came the point, if my hand or 
eye failed, my knife alone could save me ; but what 
were the odds against having an opportunity or power 
to bring it satisfactorily into use ? 

Remaining with the butt of my gun at my hip, I 



1 74 LONE LIFE : 

felt for the familiar handle of my bowie. I par- 
tially drew it to see that it was loose in the sheath, 
then dropped it back into its place ; shorter far than 
it takes to tell was this performed, but not quicker 
than was necessary, for a whine of the young bear 
dissipated in a moment the parent's doubt, and in 
an instant she rushed upon me. In quick succes- 
sion both barrels were discharged, the second ap- 
peared to check the advance of my foe, but before 
I could draw my knife — enveloped in smoke and 
sand — I was seized by the left shoulder and hurled 
down backwards, my head coming with fearful vio- 
lence in collision with the rocks. At other times 
such a blow would have stunned me — thank goodness 
on this occasion it did not, or my earthly career must 
there and then have terminated. No, not for an. instant 
did I lose my presence of mind. My right arm in- 
stinctively I forced across my chest, and the welcome 
handle was in my hand ; rapidly I disengaged it, and 
struck with all my force ; in contact with the shoul- 
der blade it must have come, for it did not enter and 
was nearly knocked from my grasp. Feeling no pain, 
only as if held in a vice, I struggled to gain a better 
position ; but down on my face came one of the 
wretch's paws as if to crush my head into the ground, 
but it had not the effect, for the moment I felt its 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 175 

pressure I seized the upper toe in my teeth with a 
grip that must have surprised Bruin, for imme- 
diately she made an effort to disengage it, giving 
me a chance, and into the chest just over the breast- 
bone again, again, again I buried my long blade ; the 
hold on my shoulder loosens, again and again I ply 
the knife — there is a rattle, a gurgle in the fiend's 
throat, then a choking sob, followed by a stifled 
cough, and my face and neck are deluged with warm 
liquid blood. To gain the open air was my first 
thought ; in an instant I had done so, and thankful 
I felt, for I had escaped from one of the most im- 
minent dangers of my life, and doubly grateful I had 
reason to be when I found that I had not been maimed 
or seriously injured. That day I had seen quite 
enough of caves ; nothing but extremely bad wea- 
ther, I was resolved, would cause me again having 
anything to do with them, so with hurried step I 
hastened off to my signal station. Turning the 
corner where I had shot the wolf, to my surprise 
and delight I saw three Indians examining the fire 
and flag pole. So intent were they that my approach 
was unobserved ; at length one turned his eye so as to 
catch mine, and with a yell he wheeled round, and fol- 
lowed by the others fled down the side of the bluff. 
Not to be deserted, I gave chase, thus sliding, slipping, 
jumping, falling, soon reached the bottom, where a 



176 LONE LIFE: 

canoe was stranded. For their craft they at once made. 
Let them gain it they will be off I know, so I re- 
doubled my exertions to overtake them. Some 
■supernatural power was that day given me ; never 
before or since have I exhibited such agility, for I 
overtook the Eed-skins ere they embarked ; but this 
mattered not, they would have nought of me, not even 
remain to listen to what I said, but dropped their 
vessel, which they had already laid hold of, and fled in 
different directions, leaving me its possessor. 

What could all this mean % Doubtless that they 
had become seized with some unaccountable attack 
of fear. However, I had got their craft, and stick 
to it I was determined, for with its assistance I 
could find my way to where 1 had observed the lights 
of the natives who were spearing on the previous 
night. I was too much out of breath to shout after 
the retreating figures, so I stood panting and blowing 
like a broken-winded horse after severe exercise. 
Strange to say, the retreating figures never turned 
round to look ; had they done so they must have seen 
that I was a human being, and more extraordinary 
still was their conduct, when I state that their guns, 
blankets, ammunition, &c, were all in the canoe, 
things that the aborigines value above everything 
earthly. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 177 

My fatigue and severe exertions had caused me 
to become very heated, a drink of water I was 
almost dying for, so stooped down to ladle some up 
with my hands, when, for the first time, I observed 
they were one mass of gore, my face I knew could be 
little better. This then must be the cause of their 
precipitous flight. They took me for some fiend in 
human shape, and preferred losing all to coming in 
contact with me. The Indians are marvellously super 
stitious, and if these men do not return and thus learn 
the groundlessness of their fears, till their dying day 
they will vow and affirm that they have seen the 
devil. 

However, I have got their canoe, and intend, whe- 
ther they return or not, that it shall be the means 
of my escape. Of course, if they will come and 
fraternise with me so much the better ; but if they 
do not, then, although I have qualms that it is not 
quite the correct thing to do, I will start alone. If 
it were possible for white men to act in such a manner, 
I doubt if anything would induce me to desert them,, 
for the probability is they would starve, or wander 
about, lost, in this vast country of forest and lake. 
Not so, however, with the aborigines, a day or two 
at most will take them to acquaintances, and al- 
though not possessed of firearms, by means of 

VOI. H. N 



178 LONE LIFE : 

pitfalls and snares they can obtain sufficient sub- 
sistence till they do so. 

I should very much liked to have gone to the 
top of the bluff for my ground-rug, but desert the 
canoe, even for a moment, was not to be thought of ; 
and as the canoe cannot be carried with me, the loss 
must be put up with, although a most serious one. 
Leaning over the gunwale inspecting the craft's 
various contents, I heard a step on the shingle. 
Looking up I perceived an Indian; he advanced 
slowly and dubiously towards me, then stopped. I 
addressed him. My voice seemed to reassure him, 
for he came on more hurriedly, again halted; for 
some moments we gazed fixedly at each other, and in 
that look I recognised a face I had seen before, his 
change of expression plainly denoting that the recog- 
nition was mutual. This Red-man was a frequent 
visitor at the old chief's camp, and spoke sufficient 
English to understand me. I explained what had 
occurred, when the habitual gravity of his race gave 
way, and he actually laughed ; but he was prompt in 
action also, and set off without delay to overtake the 
fugitives. About dusk he returned with two. 

All their fears had evaporated, still they looked 
ludicrously humbled at the contemptible figure they 
had cut, and so absurd did the whole thing appear to 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 179 

me that again and again a tendency to give way to 
my mirth occurred. One thing, my following up 
these frightened creatures at the pace I did, was most 
fortunate, for if they had succeeded in escaping in 
their canoe, I feel convinced nothing would have 
induced them to return. Now that matters were so 
satisfactorily arranged our departure was postponed 
till dark, so all adjourned to the head-land to 
cook and enjoy a good meal. The pleasure I en- 
joyed at being again among human beings, and 
listening to the human voice, is more easily ima- 
gined than expressed ; in fact, so muchVas I absorbed 
in contemplating the fortunate circumstances that 
had led to my release that for the time being I 
had forgotten the stirring and exciting events of 
the morning; but they were recalled by one of 
the Indians pointing to a rent in my apparel over 
the shoulder from whence protruded a piece of 
shirt saturated with blood. Then I narrated what ' 
had occurred, how I had been cornered in the 
den, how the struggle had been fought, and the 
result, those who understood what I said explain- 
ing in their dialect to the others. I regret to say 
incredulity was marked on all their faces, which be- 
came the more significant with my desire to dissipate 
it. The Red-man is too polite to tell a person that 
N 2 



180 LONE LIFE: 

he lies, but it is not always necessary to use such 
language to inform a person that you think he does. 
Thus springing to my feet, I offered to show them 
the scene. Even this was not sufficient, for they 
remained recumbent around the fire, chattering 
in their own lingo like a lot of monkeys ; however, 
when I reverted to the meat and the excellent ad- 
dition it would make to our meal, I commenced to 
gain ground, but the moment I mentioned the cub, 
and that I had not molested it, all sprung to their 
legs like one man, and would brook not a moment's 
further delay. The love of torturing the inferior 
animals is one of the worst traits in the Ked-man's 
character. Thus I knew that the poor young bear, if 
made a prisoner, would have to endure every sort of 
barbarism that human ingenuity could invent before 
released by death. So I made up my mind, without 
saying anything on the subject, to give it a bullet on 
the first opportunity. 

The cave was soon reached : there laid the mother 
stark and stiff as I had left her, while the child, ap- 
parently unconscious of the cause, was stretched at 
length by the parent's side. Alarmed at our presence 
the little one fled into the further recesses of the 
interior, and I trusted had effected its escape. But 
such was not the case, for when the carcass was 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 181 

drawn out, the better to afford facilities for skinning 
and cutting up, affection for the parent returned 
with redoubled force to the child, inducing him to 
come forth and scan our operations. 

One of the Indians ceased work, and glided among 
the rocks ; his object I knew was to avail himself of 
the first opportunity offering to get between the cub 
and his retreat. So I delayed no longer, but fired, 
killing the luckless creature dead. 

I could see my conduct did not give satisfaction, 
but when I pleaded ignorance of their ways, and no 
desire to participate in the spoils, harmony and good- 
fellowship were re-established. 

The quantity of bear meat my new friends con- 
sumed at that meal, I would be afraid to say, for it 
really appeared impossible. However, it produced 
no other effect than loosening their tongues, and 
making them become most communicative. I have 
frequently 'noted this among savages, viz., that an 
excess of fresh meat produces a result almost the 
same as partial intoxication. Such an opportunity 
was not to be lost for obtaining further informa- 
tion on the cause of their stampede, for hitherto they 
had been rather reticent on the subject. Although 
impossible to repeat the narrative in language used, 
I will endeavour to give it as closely as possible. 



182 LONE -LIFE: 

u When fishing last night they had seen the light 
burning on the point, but thought it was caused by the 
bad Manitou who wished to tell them that he was 
angry with his servants for not having brought him 
an offering of fish before the winter set in." Now 
this point had the reputation of being haunted, so 
never was visited except on such occasions as it was 
deemed necessary to pacify its evil guardian, and thus 
prevent him making their hunts and fishing unsuc- 
cessful, or throwing trees upon them in the forest, 
or enveloping them in storms when they are crossing 
the lake. Night not being deemed a suitable time 
to stop at the dreaded place, they resolved next 
afternoon, on their way back to the fishing-ground, 
to drop upon the margin of the bluff their pro- 
pitiatory offering. On arrival, to their surprise they 
saw the pole and flag ; this looked a little too much like 
man's work, thus causing them to land and examine. 
So three came up to the flag-staff, while the other 
who was to have remained with the canoe, was at- 
tracted by the appearance of a martin which he had 
followed into the brush. 

There is a tradition among the Indians that who- 
ever sees the Manitou immediately afterwards dies ; 
so when I was discovered the unfortunate who first 
sighted me called out what he supposed he had ob- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 183 

served, and his companions, not being desirous of 
having an immediate termination placed upon their 
existence, followed the example set them. Nothing, 
therefore, would have induced them to turn to look 
back ; the strange voice, and a knowledge that they 
were being pursued, was sufficient to make them 
resign all they possessed rather than return to where 
the Evil One had taken up his abode. The one who 
had given the false alarm explained how I was covered 
with blood, and how fearful I looked ; so, although 
chaffed by his comrades, still all appeared to think 
they would have done likewise. I carefully refrained 
from saying anything about the dead Indian, and 
having helped myself to his effects — for, knowing 
their superstitious nature, and the awe with which 
they regard the dead, I had little doubt that they 
would have deserted me, or found some pretext for 
refusing me a passage in the canoe. 

It was dark when we embarked ; the water was 
without a ripple, and fortunately it was so calm, 
for, what with bear's-meat and myself being added 
to the load, the canoe was sunk so deep that the 
slightest sea must have proved dangerous. The 
heavy meal had not affected the crew, not even 
made them indolent, so the paddles were plied with 
such power and skill that we reached the fishing- 



184 LONE LIFE: 

bank in about an hour, where already were assembled 
seven other crafts. Here two of the party left ns, 
and got into other canoes, taking with them their 
respective shares of bear-meat ; and I induced the 
others, much against their will, and not without pro- 
mising a very large present, to give up their fishing 
for that night, and proceed at once to the old chief's 
camp. It is not surprising that so much coaxing was 
requisite to induce them to accede to my request 
when it is known that this fishing season lasts but a 
week or two, and on it they are dependent for a large 
portion of their winter supplies; further, although 
spearing is accomplished when a ripple is on the 
water, a calm night like the present was certain to 
reward their exertions with a very heavy capture. 
All the natives fishing here had heard of me ; only 
two or three had seen me before, but the warm and 
affectionate manner with which I was welcomed 
told that I was regarded with the most kindly feel- 
ings. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 185 



CHAPTER XL 

The excitement of the day, the constant change, 
thankfulness for my delivery, had, all combined, 
caused me to forget myself ; but as I settled down in 
the bottom of the canoe, with the hope of sleeping 
throughout the journey, severe pains in my head and 
shoulder reminded me that I was, properly speaking, 
on the sick list; and, worse than all, my wounds 
were so situated that I had the greatest difficulty in 
dressing them. However, one of the Indians volun- 
teered his assistance, and a careful, tender nurse he 
proved. For wounds and abrasions there is nothing 
like cold water. Of this there was no scarcity ; so, with 
a piece of wet blanket, thoroughly washed clean, on 
each of the ailing parts, I found such relief that, 
what between the charming cradle-like motion of the 
canoe and my exhaustion, I was soon sound asleep, 
only waking when Ave had reached our destination, a 



186 lone life: 

little after daybreak. How welcome was the sight 
of the familiar wigwams, the pine-clad hills, the open 
ground, and hill-side that overlooked the camp, can 
only be known by those who have been placed in 
situations similar to that I had escaped from. For 
my rescue I felt intensely grateful, and did not for- 
get, or feel too ashamed by the presence of others, to 
offer up thanks and praises to whom it was due. 
The first to meet me was the poor, blear-eyed old 
hound ; the arrival of strangers brought him to the 
beach. After an inspection of us, I was recognised, 
when the old creature gave me a long, deep-noted 
welcome, that awakened in my memory a thousand 
thoughts of my far-distant island home. Once more 
I felt one of the world, that I still had a part to play in 
it, and that my future life was not always to be clouded 
with storm and shadow. But by this time every hut 
had given forth its inhabitants. True, they were 
nearly all females, for the men were away hunting 
or fishing, who gave me a welcome one receives who 
is supposed to have returned from the spirit world. 
The poor old squaw, the wife of the chief — she who 
had such serious matrimonial intentions regarding 
me — and her daughter Saucy, cried with pleasure as 
they again and again embraced me or kissed my 
hands, and, when they discovered that I was wounded, 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 187 

expressed the greatest solicitude and gave every atten- 
tion to my ailments. The first thing an Indian thinks 
of as necessary to properly welcome a stranger is to 
place before him food. The whole population vied 
with each other in this respect, and if I had possessed 
the digestive powers of a dozen, instead of one person, 
there would still have been an abundance, and to 
spare. 

As I had not here the means of paying the two 
good fellows who had brought me thus far, who, now 
they had performed their mission, were most anxious 
to return to their fishing, at once, without a mo- 
ment's hesitation took my promise, that as soon as 
they had time to spare to visit me at the shanty, I 
would scrupulously liquidate their claims. By noon 
their canoe was but a rapidly-diminishing speck on 
the bosom of the lake. May their labours never go 
unrewarded, and the grim spectre starvation never 
enter their wigwams; may their hunting-grounds 
long be unobtruded upon by~ the squatter, and may 
they never imbibe a taste for the greatest enemy of 
their race, the soul-debasing and body- destroying 
fire - water. The existence of people upon this 
part of the American continent is, I fear, short ; may 
that fell time not come in your days, for truly, it 
would] be, a sad] and unjust reward to be driven 



188 LONE LIFE: 

from the land of your fathers by the very race of 
whom you have just saved one of its members from 
death. 

That all is not right at the shanty I am convinced, 
for there is a cloud of mystery, and a desire not 
to allude to it evinced, but this I trust soon to unravel, 
for after another day of rest I shall go there. 

On a point covered with exceedingly lofty timber, 
not over a quarter of a mile from the encamp- 
ment, is a rookery, if such a term may be used, of 
ospreys, a bird now seldom seen in the British 
Islands, but exceedingly abundant on this conti- 
nent. 

I induced one of the youngsters to accompany me 
on a visit of inspection to the place. Of course, at 
this season, eggs could not be expected, but the 
examination of a nest would be an ample reward for 
the trouble. The size of many of them was so great 
that they must have been the result of the accumu- 
lation of material for many succeeding years, thus 
assisting to confirm the belief that these handsome, 
noble birds invariably return to the same breeding 
ground if not driven off by intruders. This would 
not be so remarkable in Great Britain ; but here, 
where by compulsion the osprey has to be migratory, 
and spend its winters thousands of miles to the south 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 189 

of where it hatches, this circumstance is well de- 
serving of note. 

Young Red-skin, after a little coaxing, ascended to 
to the largest nest, and after exerting no small 
amount of skill and strength, succeeded in dis- 
lodging it. In its previously elevated position it ap- 
peared large, still I was not prepared to find it of 
such immense size. Without exaggeration the debris 
would have filled a couple of garden wheelbarrows ; 
while some of the sticks were so large that it ap- 
peared impossible for the bird to have carried them 
up to the nesting place. The centre, however, was 
composed of very different material, the finest and 
smallest limbs of the birch being most skilfully 
wound together, the whole forming a cup about the 
size of the top of a man's head, lined most perfectly 
with hair and moss woven together. Although there 
were three of these powerful birds perched on neigh- 
bouring trees, they did not molest the boy, which they 
doubtless would have done had there been eggs or 
young. The hair at first surprised me, for no domestic 
animals exist within many hundred miles of here ; but 
on examination it proved to be that of the moose, 
that is so bountifully supplied in winter costume to 
its withers and neck. It is very much, indeed, to be 
regretted that so many of the indigenous birds of 



190 LONE LIFE : 

Britain are year by year' getting scarcer, especially 
this one, for it is the least destructive to game of all 
the birds of prey. True, they will take any fish 
that comes sufficiently close to the surface to be 
pounced on, but the majority of these captures are 
sick or maimed, the loss of which is not so much to 
be regretted. On a salmon ford they doubtless, if 
permitted, could do much harm; but then, if the 
fishery was valuable, they could be easily warned off. 
The eggs of the osprey, of which two are generally 
to be found in each nest, are about the size of those of 
ordinary domestic fowls, very round, cream coloured, 
blanched with deep rufus spots, the markings being 
much darker and more numerous at the upper or larger 
end. 

One foe this bird possesses, and one which evidently 
is much feared, viz., the bald-headed eagle, who, like 
a coward as he is, watches the hard-working osprey 
till he has secured his prey, when with rapid pinion 
he swoops upon him. Sometimes the struggle will be 
protracted for minutes, when the shrill cry of 
the osprey will be heard as if begging not to be 
deprived of his food, but all in vain, solicitation is 
thrown away upon the bullying coward, and fear 
for worse consequences induces the fish to be 
dropped, which is frequently seized by the free- 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 191 

booter before it has reached the water. I know no 
more interesting sight than to watch one of these 
battles, and whenever I have witnessed them, the 
days of hawking were recalled, with babbling spaniels, 
neighing palfreys, gorgeously dressed attendants, 
gallant knights, and last, though far from least, lovely 
damsels. But from the days of chivalry and the 
age of romance, let us return to the wild, wild woods 
of a land whose discovery scarcely dates so far back. 
Having this Indian lad alone to myself, and thus no 
sage old heads to wag an admonition of silence to 
him, I availed myself of the opportunity to do a 
little of what is familiarly designated pumping. My 
kindness had gained the youth's confidence. If I had 
understood his language better I should have learned 
more ; however, this I became certain of — Antoine 
had returned and was at the shanty. How about 
my property was the first thought, the second was a 
determination to regain it at any cost, and that I 
feared would not be small. 

That evening I attempted to bargain for a canoe 
to take me round, but all efforts were futile, they 
were either away or unfit for the journey, or there 
were no men to paddle me. There was possibly a 
great amount of truth in this, but nevertheless I 
could imagine a desire to prevent my going, 



192 LONE LIFE: 

but when I stated my determination to walk, the 
secret came out, that Antoine would be certain 
to kill me. The story of two Irish citizens of the 
great Republic discussing equality occurred to me. 
The one stated that Ct one man was as good as another," 
the other coincided, but added, " True for you, Pat, 
and sometimes a deal better." So I was determined to 
see if I were not the better one. As usual I was not 
permitted to start alone. The old lady found she had 
pressing business there, and, of course, her daughter 
must accompany her, then two other aged women sud- 
denly discovered they must see their husbands who were 
with the old chief, for that veteran had been there for 
some days. It was a queer cortege, still I found them 
very useful, for the path was familiar to all, and I was 
released from the pressure of carrying my ground- 
sheet and other extras — no small consideration in 
my present weak state. When we had arrived within 
a mile or so of our destination, I took the van, at 
the same time not forgetting the precaution of see- 
ing that my gun was in a fit state to do most effec- 
tual service, for I believe Master Antoine capable of 
perpetrating anything from pitch and toss to man- 
slaughter, if it would serve his purpose. At length the 
clearing came in view, in a few minutes more we had 
entered it, where we were welcomed by the shrill 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 19 3 

voice of half a dozen eurs, foremost and most voci- 
ferous among whom was the faithless Poteen 
Contrite, indeed, he should have been at my travel- 
soiled state, and humbled himself in the dust, or 
exhausted himself with fawning to make up for I113 
villanous conduct; but no, he did not even give 
that trifling reparation, but even had the insolence to 
go further, turn a deaf ear to my voice, and treat me 
as an honest dog at home would the veriest tramp. 
No more faithful, true, and affectionate race of dogs 
exist than pure bred colleys ; but a drop of bad blood 
had given this creature characteristics exactly the 
reverse from those possessed by his ancestry on the 
mother's side. But this Babel of yelps soon brought 
out nigh a dozen dusky children of the forest to learn 
the reason of the turmoil, foremost among whom was 
Cariboo. My companions he at once recognised ; but 
it was not until he had cast his eyes a second or third 
time upon me, that fairly yelling out the old familiar 
appellation " Capen," he jumped towards me with the 
agility of a wild-cat, closed his arms about my waist, 
and, in his excitement, gun and all, lifted me off the 
ground. 

His joy was carried to such an extent that it made 
him act like a child instead of a man, so I had 
to repress it to prevent his making himself ridiculous. 

VOL. II. 



194 lone life: 

At length we reached the shanty. The old chief and 
Sugar were summoned ; in a moment both came, 
and what between the veteran's welcomes and oft-re- 
peated shakes of the hand, and the lad's joy, indicated 
by a diamond drop in the corner of each eye, I felt 
assured that I was no ordinary favourite with both. 
Housekeeping on Indian principles had not im- 
proved the appearance of my dwelling internally 
or externally, for all indicated confusion and neglect, 
still my property was safe, a matter of far greater 
importance, and a conclusive evidence to me that 
the Red-man, however much it is the custom to 
abuse him, is capable of honesty and sincerity when 
kindly treated. There was so much to hear and 
so much to tell, that I determined to postpone our 
conversation to another occasion on the plea of feel- 
ing fatigued. So the room was cleared of visitors, and 
orders given that no one on any account was to be 
admitted till I had rested. 

I had scarcely laid clown when an angry alterca- 
tion ensued outside; there was no difficulty in recog- 
nising the voices of the speakers. The first was 
Antoine, insisting on being permitted to enter, the 
other was Cariboo, supported by the old chief, refusing 
to allow him. Although the applicant was positive, 
there was an earnestness in the denial of the other that 
told truly that my sentinels were determined to use 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 195 

force if necessary to cany out my orders. This little 
episode assured me that whatever should occur, I had 
friends ready and willing to stand by me in any 
emergency that might occur. 

Two hours' sleep, a thorough good wash and com- 
plete change of apparel, made me feel quite a new 
man. So I issued orders through my two aides- de- 
camp, that I would hold a grand pow-wow in the 
afternoon under the birch-tree, so long employed as 
a boat-house. Such occasions as these are great 
events with the Indians ; they delight in forms and 
ceremony, for it gives them an excuse for exhibiting 
themselves en grande tenue. The aborigines around 
me are, to a certain extent as to their raiment, 
Europeanised, thus preventing the display of feathers 
and paint characteristic of the tribes whose home is 
on the great slopes that verge upon the Rocky 
Mountains, and from this reason their taste runs 
in beads and trinkets, handsome furs and cun- 
ningly wTought belts of intricate patterns formed 
of brilliantly stained quills of the porcupine; and 
very noble they frequently look, unless when a desire 
to become attractive induces the happy owner of 
a chimney-pot hat, or other equally out of place 
piece of European costume, to be worn by them, which 
gives an absurdness to the look of even the most 
o 2 



196 LONE LIFE : 

sedate, that is likely to convulse the beholder with 
immoderate laughter ; however, we had no such ex- 
hibition, so that I retained my gravity with a fitting- 
ness worthy of so great an occasion. 

At the appointed hour I proceeded to the ren- 
dezvous, where all were assembled seated on the 
ground in two lines, the chief occupying the apex 
of the angle where its sides joined, a vacant place 
next him being left for me. As I took my place 
each bowed his head forward, and remained with 
it in that position for several seconds. Then 
ensued a silence of some minutes, when all ap- 
peared to be wrapped in thought and gazing into 
vacuity. This being over I arose, and in as few 
words and simple language as I could command, 
narrated the events that had occurred to me and what 
lead to them. When any part of my discourse 
struck them as exciting, each exclaimed "Ugh !" But 
when they heard that I had passed some time on the 
point, which all well knew and thoroughly believed 
haunted ground, a perfect shower of " ughs" greeted 
me. At length I sat down amid a profound silence 
which lasted many minutes. This being the Red- 
man's manner of indicating the seriousness with which 
they regard your communication, and that it is worthy 
of grave consideration. 



A YE^R IN THE WILDERNESS. 197 

At length the old chief arose, his erect figure, 
soldierly attitude, and keen determined eye, made him 
a study worthy of a sculptor. Throwing his bril- 
liant blanket loose, and raising his hand as if to 
invoke power to express what he wished to say, figures 
of celebrities of ancient Rome, clothed in the honoured 
toga, were recalled to my mind. Like a true orator, 
without being guilty of untimely hurry, he spoke, and 
although occasionally I failed to catch the meaning 
of an expression, such force, such earnestness, such 
suitable gesticulation, and such impressiveness I have 
seldom listened to. The purport of his words was 
nearly as follows : 

" So few good white men come among us, that 
when I heard of your arrival I was sad and my people 
grieved with me; but when the Indians that brought 
you here told us how well you had behaved to 
them, we said all the pale-faces are not bad, for are 
they not of the same race as the missionaries, and 
possibly this stranger is like unto them ; and when I 
came and saw you, and found that you did not drive 
me off or spit upon me as if I were a dog, but answered 
my questions, and treated me with the respect a son 
would his old father, my heart warmed to you, and 
day by day and morn by morn we learned to love 
vou more, for not only did you respect us but fed us. 



198 LONE LIFE : 

When I heard you were gone, that since your de- 
parture day had passed into night and night into day,. 
I sent the young men to search for you, and when 
they returned with the dog, all believed you dead ; for 
while there is life a dog will not leave his master, so 
we grieved for you as if we should see you no more. 
But you are again with us and we are happy, and 
when you go to your own people tell them that Indian 
not all bad unless when white man have made him so." 

And the old chief sat down amid numerous grunts 
of approval from his followers. 

While this grand pow-wow was taking place the 
weather had suddenly changed, and fitful gusts of 
wind moaned through the trees or swept in eddying 
currents along the river course, gradually increasing 
in frequency and force, till all indicated the rapid 
approach of a severe autumnal storm. At length 
large drops of rain commenced to descend, affording 
an excellent pretext for breaking up our meeting. I 
was too tired and my mind lately too much over- 
worked to entertain guests, and my dusky friends 
seemed well aware of what importance rest was to me, 
so with consideration worthy of the most civilised, 
let me depart to enjoy my own society. True, Master 
Sugar, with cat-like stealth, would steal in and out of 
my abode in the performance of his duties ; but it was 
done so noiselessly as almost to be imperceptible, more 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 199 

particularly as the howling of the blast, the mut- 
tering of the deep-voiced, awe-inspiring thunder, the 
rushing avalanche of descending water, and the creak- 
ing, rending, and tearing of trees formed a chaos 
of reverberations so terrible as drowned all minor 
sounds. 

I have witnessed the elements lashed into fury by 
a cyclone in the Indian Ocean, I have been in the 
surging vortex of a typhoon in the Formosa channel, 
and for a day and night, on board a powerful steam- 
ship, unable to advance against the winds, but rather 
to retrograde, from the uncontrollable force of the 
gale, have pitched and tossed off Quileparte in the 
Chinese Sea ; but they were as skirmishes of a rear- 
guard in comparison to a great battle, when compared 
with the present raging of the hurricane. At an 
unusual burst of the storm-wrath, my little attendant 
whispered in my ear, " The Great Manitou is angry 
with his children.'' " Amen" was my response. 

Athough on the American Atlantic sea-board the 
gales that occur in the same latitude as my present 
residence are protracted, often lasting several days, 
seldom less than twenty-four hours, except the season 
be summer, this storm did not, but relapsed into 
a death-like stillness more suddenly than it had 
sprung up, and that before it was many hours old. 
It is difficult to account for this, but however in- 



200 LONE LIFE: 

explicable the cause, it is fortunate that it is so ; for 
what would be the destruction to the vegetable 
world if such spasmodic bursts of wrath were pro- 
tracted ? Are we again to recognise in it a won- 
derful interposition of Providence to prevent so 
gigantic a section of country becoming uninhabit- 
able to the animal creation ? 

I have often heard it stated, possibly the first person 
that advanced the subject did so in joke — but how 
frequently do words spoken in jest come to earnest ? — 
that the safest place a person can be in during a 
tornado is the cabin of a well-built steam-ship. This 
I verily believe to be a fact. Timid dames and 
sea-sick swains will scarcely coincide with me, for 
they see danger of the craft that bears them being 
thrown on her beam ends at every roll, of going 
head-foremost into the ocean depths at every pitch, 
or foundering under the pressure of every spray that 
breaks over her bows ; but persons who have not a 
prejudice against marine travel, if they will fairly 
consider the matter, or refer to statistics of loss of 
life by tempests on the ocean, on board our first-class 
lines of vessels, not of course among our miserable 
coasters, or, more unworthy lumber-ships in the 
Quebec trade, than which no greater coffins exist 
will discover that my supposition is not erroneous. 



A YEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 201 



CHAPTER XII. 

As I was smoking my after-supper pipe, and stu- 
dying over plans for my departure for civilisation, a 
knock was heard at the shanty door ; in answer to 
my permission to enter, the latch was raised, the 
rough-constructed hinges creaked, and in a moment 
after Antoine was before me. His manner and ex- 
pression left no room for doubt that his intentions 
were peaceful, for he held forth his hand, and whining 
piteously, sued for forgiveness for past transgressions. 
I am not one to forget and forgive in an instant, but 
slow to be provoked and rather unrelenting in my 
wrath when feeling that I have been unjustly dealt 
with, so I expressed surprise at the line of conduct 
he had adopted, but my apparent determination to 
keep him at arm's length, only made him become 
more subservient and cringing. 

After some minutes he asked when I intended 



202 LONE LIFE : 

returning, which, when I answered, he reminded 
me of my agreement to take him back with me; 
further, that he would assuredly die, and if not a 
natural death, be killed by the natives if I de- 
serted him, and if such took place after he had 
warned me, I should most assuredly be guilty of 
murder. Previous to this, for I had foreseen that 
such a turn might occur in the course of events, I 
had determined that nothing should induce me to 
permit him to accompany me, but my heart now 
relented, so I acceded. Knowing well I would not 
break my word, the interview soon after terminated, 
and I was again alone, but not long ; for the Indian 
boy, who had seen Antoine arrive, dreading that his 
intentions towards me were not amicable, had at once 
gone for Cariboo, both of whom, doubtlessly, had 
played the part of eaves-droppers during the greater 
portion of our conversation. Affection for me and a 
desire to protect me was their sole motive, and by the 
motive not the act I judged them. 

Since my return I had not exchanged a dozen 
words with Cariboo, so I invited him to his favourite 
seat, and soon learned much interesting matter that 
had occurred during my absence. To commence at 
the beginning, when my not returning at the specified 
time had excited his alarm, he had at once gone to 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 203 

the lake to have a consultation with the chief on what 
steps should be taken. 

The Indians, ever prompt to act, determined at 
once that the old man and one or two of his 
people should take possession of the shanty, so 
as to protect my effects; while Cariboo, the boy. 
and another of the tribe would ascend the river till 
they reached my first camping-place, and from there 
commence their search for me. This they did, but 
beyond finding a track on the sandy bank of a brook 
which I had forded, they were unable to make out 
my further trail. At length, disheartened and ex- 
hausted from their tedious labour, they were about 
to return to the shanty, for they were on the barren 
not many miles from it, wdien to their surprise they 
were joined by Poteen, weather-stained and gaunt, 
moreover, so frightened, that he would not leave 
them for a moment. This they considered a very 
bad omen ; so after fruitlessly spending a few hours 
inspecting the vicinity, they returned, and just in 
time to frustrate Antoine, who had unexpectedly 
made his appearance, his first action being an attempt 
to appropriate my effects under the plea that he was 
my relative, and that although we had quarrelled, 
yet he was the proper person to take charge of them, 
and see that they were handed over to my heirs. 



204 LONE LIFE : 

The specious and earnest pleading of the scoundrel, 
moreover his having with him several Indians, who 
had assisted him in bringing from the interior a large 
■stock of furs, almost had induced the old chief to give 
w T ay; but Cariboo's eloquence and earnestness turned 
the tide of popular opinion, when a war of words en- 
sued, ultimately resulting in my supporter vowing he 
would shoot the first man that dared to touch the 
smallest trifle of my property. Soon after a disturb- 
ance took place between the French Canadian and his 
followers, for they had been promised payment for the 
■sundry peltries placed in his hand, on arriving at my 
-dwelling. Thus Master Antoine found himself between 
two stools, so considered jt better to submit till time or 
opportunity were more in his favour. But he was not 
yet out of hot water, for one of the Red-men that 
accompanied him had deserted, supposedly with 
the intention of communicating to his people the 
result of their fall trade and the manner they had 
been swindled out of its proceeds. 

I now regretted that I had granted permission to the 
blackguard to accompany me back, but having 
passed my word, there was no retracting ; on this 
point however I was resolved, that if any complaints 
were brought to me, and substantiated, of his having 
dealt dishonestly with the aborigines, I would not only 
refuse to permit him to leave with me, but throw 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 205 

every obstacle in my power to prevent the result of 
his dishonesty being brought out of the wilderness ; for 
it is villains such as this, through pilfering, cheating, 
and perjuring themselves, cause these simple-minded, 
honest-intentioned, chivalrous people to regard the 
white-faced intruder with eyes of suspicion — even 
with worse, hatred. 

I do not deny that the whole white race, as a na- 
tion, use the poor Indian badly — drive them from 
the home of their progenitors to a country that knows 
them not, and possibly banishes them further when 
they have commenced to individualise themselves 
with their new residence ; but then it is done by 
fairer means, and for the benefit of society at large. 

Too excited, too tired, and my body demoralised 
from bad treatment, I could not sleep, but tossed and 
fretted through the livelong night, building up plans 
for the future, or demolishing previously-constructed 
edifices. Excess in all things is to be reprobated ; 
in eating, drinking, or exercise, the human frame is 
like a piece of steel ; so much it will bear with im- 
punity, but go beyond it and injury must accrue. 
But of all the fancies that passed through my brain,, 
one that took firm hold, and would not be contra- 
dicted, was a resolve to turn my face homewards 
as soon as it was possible to arrange my affairs. 
What affairs had I to arrange ? I hear asked. Well, 



206 LONE LIFE: 

part with everything that was not absolutely neces- 
sary to assist me in my journey, for here they were 
of value, in civilisation of comparatively none. So 
when breakfast was over I sent for the old chief, and 
communicated my intention. As I anticipated, his 
first endeavour was to persuade me to remain ; but 
when he saw I was resolved in my purpose, he will- 
ingly promised to do all in his power to assist me. 
Although time was of the greatest importance, I 
determined nothing should be done too hurriedly, 
so named the date of commencing my homeward 
journey seven days hence, in the mean time request- 
ing my old friend to send to his people, and all those 
Indians who resided within easy access, and notify 
them that I would trade awayjj the surplus of. my 
supplies for such furs as they were willing to dispose 
of on the clay previous to my leaving. 

If a white man had been situated in his place, 
he would not liave performed my behest, for he 
would, at once have perceived that competition would 
be the result, and thus the value raised of what, was 
most valuable for him to possess; but well I knew^.no 
such selfish motives would actuate this worthy old c]nef 
so rested satisfied that everything in his power wo r uld 
be done to serve my interest. Within an hour thr-ee 
young men were secretly dismissed upon this errand, 



A YEAE IX THE WILDERNESS. 207 

but, although the chief had been enjoined to keep 
silent to all others in the camp, I found that this was 
requiring more of him than was in his power to com- 
ply with. The fact was, that the old gentleman had no 
secrets from his better half, for he was hen-pecked as 
much as any civilised husband, and what he was dis- 
inclined to tell was extracted from him either by fair 
or foul means. This is not stated on surmise, but 
from actual observation, for on more than one occa- 
sion I have seen the partner of his joys and sorrows, 
if she deemed from her lord's manner that something 
was being withheld from her, wheedle and caress 
him into making her a confidante, but if this failed 
reproaches and indignant protestations would follow, 
accompanied by expressions of grief and anger, that 
invariably resulted in the squaw gaining her point. 
Women, although they be-red or white, live in palaces 
or wigwams, wear paniers and chignons or dress in 
buckskin, are much alike if a point is to be gained, 
and their husband is the instrument to be employed 
to reach it. 

Thus I was congratulating myself on the success 
of my interview with the chief, and thinking how 
perfectly I had succeeded in keeping my departure 
secret for at least some days to come — for no one was 
present at our interview — when the old lady and her 



208 LONE LIFE : 

handsome daughter appeared at the threshold of my 
residence. Courtesy, of course, made me bid them 
welcome, and request their entrance into the room. 
One look told all, but for fear that I might be 
in error, which I felt convinced I was not, in the 
most careless and nonchalant manner commenced 
talking on every subject that formerly had been 
of interest in the broken dialect most comprehen- 
sible to them. But both mother and child had a 
settled, moody, disappointed look, that all my compli- 
ments and determined agreeableness of manner would 
not banish ; so if an answer was vouchsafed me, 
and that was only on occasions that it would have 
been downright rude to refuse — a monosyllable was 
the response. Both were evidently got up, regard- 
less of expense, for the occasion ; the old woman had 
on her showiest beads and other ornaments, with her 
most brilliant blanket across her shoulders, while the 
younger had her hair carefully brushed and thrown 
back over her shoulders, her neck bare to her bust, 
while on her bosom glittered one of my earlier presents ; 
her feet and ankles to the knee were covered with 
new moccasins and leggings beautifully embroidered, 
while over all was worn a double-breasted half-coat 
half-dressing gown, made from a scarlet blanket, and 
secured at the waist with a belt of many-coloured 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 209 

"beads. Think as you will of such a costume, but I 
say, as far as I am a judge of female apparel, that 
this unsophisticated child of the forest looked exceed- 
ingly handsome, and more becomingly draped than 
if she had had the benefit of a Parisian or a London 
dressmaker. At other times I should have compli- 
mented her on her appearance, now I deemed it too 
dangerous to do so, for a certain flash from the corner 
of her sloe-black eye reminded me that I had seen such 
indicate that, well, say if in a horse, that it was about 
to kick over the traces. A child in bad temper is often 
thoroughly restored to good humour by the gift of a 
toy, so I resolved to put into practice the same ruse. 
Searching among my odds and ends, I found a brooch 
and ear-rings, such as are frequently to be seen at- 
tached to cards, and exhibited for sale at the fearfully 
modest price of one shilling a set. With the bauble 
I approached her, diffidently, I must say, for I did 
not feel quite certain how it would be received, and 
tendered it. 

With a suddenness that took me by surprise she 
sprung to her feet and snatched it from me, then 
dashed it to the ground, and stamped her foot upon 
it, grinding it into the earth with her heel. To express 
astonishment was not my purpose, so I gazed at her 
with supreme nonchalance. And a handsomer figure, 

vol. ir. p 



210 LOXE LIFE: 

or more commanding well-bred looking woman, though 
her skin was dark as a double-dyed gipsy, I never gazed 
on. Speak of fire flashing from eyes, it did literally ; 
her thin nostrils expanded, while her bosom heaved 
and fell like the waves of ocean. My independence, I 
could observe, severely piqued her, for from the Juno 
look she first exhibited, her features altered to an ex- 
pression of severe pain. I said nothing, asked no- 
thing, but simply gazed at her. At length she broke 
down, staggered back, and rested against the wall, 
her head bent forward and buried in her hands ; but 
no tears flowed, all that denoted life being the heaving 
of her half-stifled respiration. If would be wrong if 
any one for a moment supposed that I was not truly 
grieved for the poor girl, but what could I do, for 
any action of condolence or words of regret might be 
misconstrued, and thus in future only add to the 
severity of the ordeal she was now enduring. 

To leave the wigwam I first deemed the better 
course, but, on after-thought, supposed it might be 
considered an insult ; to remain was but to witness 
grief resulting from an excess of feeling, which 
I did not wish to see, for with all my apparent in- 
difference I felt keenly for the poor untutored child 
of nature, whose fault was to love too strongly ; but 
fortunately the very interruption occurred that was 



A YEAR IN THE WILDEEXESS. 211 

most desirable ; the old chief with stately formality 
walked into the cabin. Anger, so seldom seen there, 
was in his eye, for his first words expressed that his 
belief was that the women had betrayed to me his 
weakness in making them confidantes. Waving his 
hand and pointing to the door, he ordered them to 
leave, and when his wrath was aroused not even the 
partner of his bosom dared to disobey. In a moment 
the old lady went forth, defiant in look and unwilling 
in manner it is true ; but not so his daughter, whose 
attitude still remained the quintessence of listless 
despair. 

The old chief did not understand her non-com- 
pliance with his mandate. Rage, at what he supposed 
disobedience, marked his face, and he was stepping 
towards her, doubtless with the intention of dragging 

' CO D 

her forth, when I intervened. Glancing at me with 
surprise, he remained stationary ; in a moment more 
I had led him out, and the poor girl was alone with 
her grief. 

The old gentleman's equanimity was soon restored, 
when I told him that the women had said nothing of 
my intended departure, but listened with sad face to 
the narration of what had occurred. After a pause, 
looking on the ground he said: 

" The red squaw wither in the white man's home, 
p2 



212 LONE LIFE: 

like the leaves before the winter wind ; no more would 
she live without the wigwam and the canoe, than the 
moose without the forest and barren." 

Shaking the good old man's hand we parted. 

I was truly glad this affair was over, and that it 
had terminated so satisfactorily, for it would have 
been a serious matter if the father had been like- 
minded with the old lady ; and there was further 
room for gratification, that no one but the members 
of their own family were aware of what had trans- 
pired. 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 213 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Since my return I had not fished, and deeming it 
a good excuse to get out of the way for a few hours, 
I called the Indian lad and bade him bring my fish- 
ing gear. It was so long since it had been used that 
I suppose he found some difficulty in laying his 
hands upon all the paraphernalia, so I reached the 
pool I intended commencing at some time before he 
came up. While looking about me, my eye rested 
on a dear little familiar friend, one I have known 
from childhood, for it is found on both sides of the 
Atlantic ; the bird I allude to was the common 
creeper (Certhia familiaris). Shunning observation, 
it is a diffident, gentle little creature, possessed of a 
wonderful faculty of gliding out of sight, or pre- 
senting itself without the observer being aware how 
it has gone or come ; and the rapidity with which it 
shifts round the trunk or limb of a tree, one moment 



214 LONE LIFE: 

with its head up, at another looking downwards, 
must be a matter of astonishment to all who are un- 
acquainted with the formation of its feet and tail. 
I have said it is diffident ; well, it possesses a strange 
anomaly of character, for it is so at one time, at 
others the reverse ; it will approach so close as to 
be within ten or twelve feet of you, if its curiosity 
be excited, still ever manages to keep a twig or branch 
between it and the intruder in its haunts. 

Whether there is a difference between the Ameri- 
can and English varieties, such, for instance, as exists 
between the snipe of the respective countries— one 
or two feathers more or less in the wing or tail — I 
am not sufficiently expert an ornithologist to state, 
but to the casual glance they are exactly similar. 

The nests of those creepers which I have found in 
England have invariably been in a diminutive hole 
in a tree, those in America outside, but screened 
from observation by some obstruction or excrescence 
in the bark. This may result from their deeming 
that intrusion or discovery is more improbable in 
less populated wilds of the latter land. 

On the shell-bark hickory, one of the handsomest 
of trees, and one I often regret is not indigenous to 
Britain, is one of their favourite building places, 
but it requires no ordinary eyes and diligence of 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 215 

search to discover its tiny little nest of finest withered 
blue grass interwoven with moss and lined with 
liliputian feathers. Its eggs, which generally number 
seven, are a white ground with light-brown or choco- 
late markings, more in the form of irregular lines 
than spots around the larger end, the lower ex- 
tremity being occasionally entirely free from colour, 
or very slightly speckled. 

The mature birds are capable of standing great 
severity of cold, for often, when deer shooting in the 
bitterest weather, they have kept frolicking about my 
stand, or followed me in my trudge through the 
woodland. However, they must be partially migra- 
tory, for I do not think they can pass through the 
severity and length of a winter in such high lati- 
tudes as my present position. 

It is generally admitted that persons who reside in 
mountainous countries are superstitious ; those that 
dwell in and on the margins of forest lands I know 
are ; thus the backwoodsman will tell you, if he ob- 
serves a creeper feeding with his head down, that it 
is no use searching for deer that day, and vice 
versa. 

But here comes the boy. 

" Why, sir, such a rueful countenance ?" 

Although convinced he did not understand my 



216 LONE LIFE : 

question, he answered it with deep grief marked on 
his face. 

" Capen, I fall and break rod." 

" Well, no use being in such a stew over what was 
an accident." 

And the poor fellow's visage brightened at once 
What was the use of being cross ? Have I not done 
the same with my own rod, and, doubtless, with my 
father's before I owned one? On examination it 
was a fracture of the tip. A few minutes, with the 
aid of my knife, a splice was made, and in a short 
time further all was as secure as previously. There 
is nothing like learning to be useful. If I had 
not, my fishing for that evening would have been 
lost ; further, try and never lose your temper when an 
accident occurs, and, above all, when such takes place, 
particularly if a child be the cause, speak gently, for 
their feelings have not become hardened like ours 
through buffeting about in the rough world, and a 
word harshly spoken, even thoughtlessly, makes often 
a painful and long-lasting wound upon youth. 

I found, as I expected, the water in splendid order, 
with possibly a little more wind than was desirable. 
This caused me to mount a larger fly than I should 
have done otherwise, but soon my choice proved 
itself correct, for at the second cast I hooked, and 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 217 

afterwards landed, a splendid fish, and ere I readied 
the shanty, Master Sugar had quite a load. 

Is it not strange, since I have returned Poteen 
scrupulously avoids me ? — even deserts the boy when 
he is in my society — consequently I inquired of him 
the reason. 

" Dog the same as man — he do bad, he too much 
ashamed." 

Well done, youngster, you are no mean observer 
of nature, Red-skin though you be. 

Among the Indians there was a regular pow-wow 
this evening, for one had captured a black fox, the 
most valuable of all the fur-bearing animals of this 
region. The pelt is in prime condition, and conse- 
quently will make the fortunate possessor of it 
richer by one hundred dollars, taken out in store- 
goods, the intrinsic value of which will not exceed 
one-third that amount. 

Russia and China are the countries to which they 
are exported, where I am informed only the highest 
nobles are permitted to wear them. What an ex- 
traordinary world we live in. Only fancy a poor 
little beast, that roamed at large over the Canadian 
wilds, living as best it may, and being regarded by 
the rest of the beast creation, yes, and possibly by 
itself, as a very ordinary creature, gracing with its 



218 LONE LIFE : 

skin some pompous, overgrown, purse and learning 
proud mandarin, or a stately-miened handsome mili- 
tary prince of the Muscovite Empire, in either case 
thousands and thousands of miles from where the 
animal that produced it first saw light. 

The night was so calm and still that after supper 
I wandered forth to listen to the anecdotes of the 
Indians, and smoke a pipe with them. To my surprise 
I found two of the young men preparing for a 
spearing excursion on the ford helow where the canoes 
were generally beached. I must confess to having 
had a strong desire to prevent such unhallowed 
means being employed to capture the splendid fish 
of what I regarded as my own river ; but why should 
I interfere, in a week I should be gone, when the 
natives could do as they chose ; moreover, they were 
but following the instincts of their race, and the 
examples set them by their progenitors through suc- 
cessive generations. Food also was required, and 
under such circumstances even dislikes as strong as 
mine have a right to be waived. So I said nothing, 
and from the distance surveyed the scene, and it was 
one to be looked at, one to be admired, and, more, 
never forgotten. 

Talk of romance, it was romantic in the extreme ; 
of wild grandeur it came up to all the mind could 



A YEAR LN T THE WILDERNESS. '219 

imagine. The frail, buoyant, birch-bark canoe, the 
two muscular dark-skinned Indians, stripped to the 
waist, both standing erect, the one skilfully plying his 
long paddle, the other gracefully poising his spear, 
the whole lit up with the fierce lurid blaze of the 
birch-bark torch, the water surging round the craft, the 
surface of which breaking into a thousand ruby lights, 
while the glare, beyond the quaint old trees that mar- 
gined the stream, made the distant darkness more im- 
penetrable and forbidding. Deep and stealthily the 
paddle is dipped, skilfully and quickly the spear is 
struck, and the rising, struggling victim, momentarily 
held aloft before being thrown into the canoe, re- 
flects a thousand lights from its silver-sheened sides. 
The deep u ugh !" of satisfaction from the performers 
when a more than skilful stroke was made, the echoes 
again and again repeating the applause of the 
lookers-on, the excited features, and doubly-excited 
manner of all, might have caused the observer to 
imagine that the river was in Hades, the spectators 
inhabitants of another world. 

To spear fish upon a spawning-bed is wrong, un- 
equivocally wrong, but never have I seen, never will 
see, I think, an exercise more manly, more inducive 
to skill and courage, more able to produce fearless 
and perfect boatmen, more attractive from associa- 



220 LONE LIFE : 

tion and. accessories. But as Antoine joined the 
group by which I was surrounded, and I had no de- 
sire to give him the slightest pretext for renewing my 
acquaintance, I reluctantly retired. On my way to 
the shanty I passed the camp where the old chief's 
family had taken up their residence. Over the glow- 
ing coals, now nearly burnt out, sat the two females 
of his household. The old woman, save that she 
smoked a very short and dirty pipe with such strong 
and rapid puffs as made her cheek innate and con- 
tract with the regular stroke and rapidity of a bellows, 
looked like Hecate. The younger, her head enve- 
loped in her garments, reminded me of many a sad 
creature seen upon a London door-step. Alas ! 
where can w T e go not to find sorrow? where bury 
ourself, never to see grief ? They are inseparable 
from man's lot. Sorrow and pleasure are to our life 
what sunshine and storm are to the vegetable world, 
and the palaces of the rich are no freer from it 
than the cabins of the peasant. 

Another day has passed, and but five more remain 
ere (God willing) I shall leave this neighbourhood, 
probably for ever. For ever ! What a mysterious 
expression ! how definite, yet how incomprehensible. 
To think of it without sadness is impossible, still I 
cannot forbear the pleasure of associating once more 



A TEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 221 

with my own race, and enjoying their society. To 
bid adieu to all the familiar scenes that surround me, 
that have become hallowed to my memory through 
frequent association with them, that have afforded 
me indescribable pleasure, that have witnessed my 
triumphs and disappointments in the chase, that have 
charmed the eye with their gorgeous foliage and 
hoary veteran trees, that have soothed my mind to 
rest and induced contemplations from which I have 
invariably arisen feeling benefited, and possessed of 
more charity for my fellow-labourers in the vineyard, 
that have recalled the merriest days of youth and the 
happiest of manhood — no, I cannot, will not depart 
without bidding them a fond farewell. An interview 
with Cariboo settled the point ; with him as com- 
panion, I shall start to visit the beaver-dams on 
the morrow, and, if the weather continues fine, pro- 
long our stay for two days. 

lluthlessly awoke from the pleasantest and most 
enjoyable portion of my sleep, that which occurs 
about an hour or two before the habitual time of 
rising, by all the Indian curs, and particularly Poteen, 
making a most discordant disturbance, was it sur- 
prising that I exclaimed " Confound the dogs !" and 
possibly -wished each of their owners had strung them 
up before leaving their homes to bringing them here. 



222 LONE LIFE : 

And to this turmoil was added the shrieking of 
squaws, imprecating the brutes for their bad beha- 
viour, while every now and then a howl of pain would 
tell how skilful the female population were in the 
use of stones or other missiles. Determined not to 
be curtailed in my rest, I turned over and tried to 
sleep again. This I would doubtless have accom- 
plished had not I detected several voices, in half- 
whispers, discussing the propriety of awakening me. 
It was evident that there was a difference of opinion 
on the subject, consequently the argument waxed 
warm, and the language louder. My lad and 
Cariboo protested against the step, while the others, 
who were evidently in the majority, insisted that it 
was time for all to be up, especially those calling 
themselves hunters. Under such circumstances, 
however much I desired it, sleep was impossible ; so, 
making a virtue of necessity, I left my couch. One 
soon learns to be expeditious in dressing when lead- 
ing a primitive life, so I was not many minutes be- 
fore becoming presentable. The cause of the dis- 
turbance was the arrival of the Indians who had 
rescued me from what I had christened the haunted 
promontory, a fine sensation name for a blood-and- 
thunder drama. Of course a hearty welcome was 
subtended to them, and they appeared as gratified at 



A TEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 223 

seeing me, as I was to meet them. Without delay? 
they were invited to enter, and offered the seats of 
honour, but chairs or stools were not necessary, but 
rather the reverse to my visitors' comfort, so they 
declined occupying them with many a laugh and 
grin, ultimately selecting the bear-skin as a couch. 
My clothing, boots, gloves, fur cap, and especially 
my hunting paraphernalia, evoked their admiration, 
but my watch, compass, and some photographs, espe- 
cially those of ladies, caused them to become mute 
with astonishment. 

Their curiosity gratified, Cariboo, whom I had asked 
to officiate as master of the ceremonies, as well as to 
assist me unravelling such parts of their language I 
did not understand, got into a long, and evidently 
most amusing, conversation with the duo, judging 
from the expression of all. It was a description of 
the fhVht on the occasion of their discovering me. 
In the mean time I had given the boy instructions to 
prepare a feed upon a grand scale ; but that my de- 
parture was near I should not have been so lavish 
of my stores ; and as Master Sugar could not get on 
without my superintendence, I left my guests to 
be entertained by my henchman. Preserved soup, 
lobster, and bacon were the delicacies ; a roast 
piece of venison and trout made into a chowder, 



224 LONE LIFE : 

seasoned rather highly, and thickened with crushed 
biscuit, the stand-by. The old squaw from the first 
voluntarily assisted me, and after a time her daughter 
gave a helping hand, and the odours that arose around 
our out-door cook-house were most gratifying. From 
the shanty being so contracted in size, and always 
gloomy from the want of proper windows, our feast 
was to be al fresco. 

The party was small and select, the old chief being 
the only invited guest, so that we should sit down 
five in all, myself at the head of the table, a guest on 
each side of me, and Cariboo and the old gentleman 
next each of the strangers. Like all housekeepers, I 
had my troubles, the most important of which was how 
we were to succeed for a relay of plates, for if more 
than one was used as a dish — half a dozen being my 
entire stock — some person would naturally be short of 
this necessary article. But a little thought showed 
me how to escape from the quandary. We should 
have birch-bark dishes, each description of food be 
served separately, and after it had been done justice 
to the plates gathered, soused in boiling water, wiped? 
and thus immediately again be ready for use. The 
soup, again, was a source of sad embarrassment, 
for the supply of spoons was limited to three, unless 
tea-spoons be included, when there were six ; 
but they are not quite suited for the demolition 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 225 

of soup while it retains its heat. Having spoken to 
Master Sugar on the subject, his invention served 
me ; for out of birch-hark he made a couple of scoops ? 
big enough truly to hold half a pint of soup, but still 
useful in their way, when the chief object they were 
intended for was to transfer hot liquid from the plate 
to the mouth. The Indian lad knew w^ell how to 
wait on me, so giving him such instructions as to 
attend exactly to what I told him, shut his ears to 
conversation, however amusing, and on no account 
permit himself to be hurried or become nervous, I 
dismissed him. 

Doubtless my guests, in the goodly company of 
Cariboo, received some idea from him of what was 
the cause of my so frequently deserting them ; still 
the inherent politeness of the race induced them to 
make no remarks, or, I believe, even look after me to 
ascertain the prospects of having a satisfactory meal, 
but this did not prevent them enjoying a cup of coffee 
— more sugar than anything else — and making an 
awful inroad into my tobacco. As the steaming, 
spluttering, bubbling pots indicated that the time ap- 
proached when their contents would be ready for 
consumption, with strict injunctions to the cooks that 
on no account were they to be permitted to boil over,, 
I visited the old chief, told him the programme, and 

VOL. II. Q 



226 LONE LIFE : 

on our way to the shanty begged of him to explain to 
the strangers what white men's ways were, at the 
same time giving them the hint to do as he or I did. 
Having introduced the old gentleman to my visitors, I 
called out Cariboo, and gave him the same instructions, 
sending him back to impart them. I enter into these 
minutiae to show that successfully to carry out a 
dinner-party, especially among guests such as I had 
to entertain, it was as necessary to use finesse, and 
be acquainted with details, as it is for a general 
before he can acquit himself creditably in handling a 
large body of troops. 

Having explained the rotation with which I desired 
the various viands to be served, believing it would 
not tend to elevate me in the eyes of the lookers on, 
I retired to the river instead of to the shanty, to 
put the finishing touches to my toilet. My ablutions 
completed, and my beard and hair arranged in pre- 
sentable shape, I once more visited the kitchen to 
give final instructions, with further information that 
nothing was to be served till we had taken our seats 
at our respective places. Believing all the machinery 
in working order, I adjourned to the shanty, there 
made a short speech, interrupted much by its inter- 
pretation, and more than half misunderstood, then 
invited my guests to adjourn to the banquet. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 227 

Getting one of the strangers on my arm while the 
old chief took the reverse flank, followed by the other 
under the guidance of Cariboo, we reached the dining- 
table, at least so I will call it, and took our seats. 
This was accomplished without disorder — an augury 
of success. 

The lobster came first ; each was abundantly 
served, but none commenced to eat the unknown 
substance till I set an example. Duly explaining 
what it was, all commenced work, and satisfaction 
was expressed on every countenance. Taking up a 
phial of cayenne pepper, I assisted myself to a small 
quantity, placing it on the edge of my plate. This 
was not unnoticed, for first one of the strangers, then 
another, did likewise, and with no sparing hand ; the 
consequence was that in a few minutes both were in 
a profuse perspiration, ultimately followed by cough- 
ing and choking, so severe, that I feared for the 
result. A white man would have become red under 
such an ordeal ; my guests became blue. "Water 
was imbibed in an unlimited quantity, and the tears 
fairly coursed down their cheeks, but not a smile 
dared I permit myself to show. At length time 
gave each relief, when the first question the elder 
asked me was, whether such powder as that would not 
shoot better than what the traders sold the Indians ? 
Q 2 



228 LONE LIFE : 

I explained that it was not used for that purpose ; 
however, he insisted that it have "plenty more fire 
than powder Indian get." 

In due course the lobster was removed, the plates 
washed, and soup placed upon the table. My shallow 
metal plates were scarcely suited for such a liquid 
substance, but then needs must. The lad, Sugar, 
had served extremely well ; but it is no easy matter 
to carry liquid in a shallow dish, and, as ill-luck 
would have it, he emptied the whole contents of one 
over the head and face of the stranger next me. It 
was nearly boiling hot when I served it ; doubtless, it 
had cooled a little before the accident occurred, still 
must have been far from an agreeable salute. 

With the exception of an interjection of "ugh !" 
the unfortunate recipient of the salute said nothing, 
although he shook his head like a water-spaniel after 
a protracted swim, and an evidence of pain exhibited 
itself for a moment in his countenance. 

This was the last contretemps, all afterwards went 
admirably, and when the last course was removed 
good-fellowship beamed on the countenance of all, 
and they yawned, stretched themselves, and patted 
their stomachs with the complacency of a civilised 
gourmand, certainly with less ostentation than can 
occasionally be seen among our City fathers — much 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 229 

to the admiration of the uninvited, who stood around 
envying their lot, and regretting that they were not 
among the guests. At length the time for smoking 
came, the outsiders were invited to partake of the 
luxury, and bore that position in respect to the 
originals of the feast as in England is occupied by 
those receiving late invitations, that is, to arrive in 
sufficient to get the probability of a chance to have a 
worry at supper. However, here, whatever might be 
felt elsewhere, no jealousies were exhibited, possibly 
being under the eye of their chief was the reason, for 
all went merrily as a marriage bell. The scene must 
have been intensely picturesque and novel to those that 
were ignorant of such a life ; eight or nine swarthy 
warriors reclining upon skins in every conceivable 
attitude, attended by their squaws in their party- 
coloured garments, handsome trees shading off the 
warm, rich rays of the autumnal sun, while the 
bright sparkling river rushed past in all the glory of 
its mad headlong career. The tongues of all had 
become loosened, and narratives of adventures by 
flood and field, jokes and anecdotes, were the order 
of the day, when a shout from the bank by the boat- 
house instantly brought all, excepting myself, to their 
feet. In a moment afterwards every one, even the 
squaws, were rushing headlong to learn the cause of 



230 lone life: 

the summons. My curiosity being excited, I followed 
the example set me. On reaching the crowd, I was 
not long kept in ignorance of the reason of the stam- 
pede, for half way up the reach was advancing a large 
canoe, under the united efforts of four powerfully- 
handled paddles. Each of the strangers, arms and 
necks bare, stood up to their task, and made their 
deep, powerful stroke with the precision and regu- 
larity of a well-trained crew. Although the current 
was not slow, the light-draught canoe slid over its 
surface with a speed truly surprising, so that in a 
few minutes more their craft's head was pointed to the 
beach, and in a moment after they had disembarked. 
Who are they? was my first question; and, in 
response, had answer from half a dozen mouths that 
they were from the tribe where Antoine had spent 
the summer. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 231 



CHAPTER XIV. 

They were all extremely fine specimens of the 
Indian, young, active, and well made ; one in parti- 
cular, who stood almost six feet in his moccasins, and 
who appeared to be both leader and spokesman of the 
party, had a singularly handsome face, and most 
intelligent cast of countenance. It was quite appa- 
rent that I was known to them by report, for, after 
the old chief had given them a few words of welcome, 
they turned to me, holding out their hands to be 
shaken in a manner that indicated that it was a mode 
of salute, although known to them, seldom practised. 
Hospitality being deemed the superlative duty of all 
in these distant wilds, they were forthwith invited to 
eat — an invitation that was promptly accepted. For- 
tunately a large portion of our feast was left ; to this 
was added some fresh fish, and the manner the stran- 



232 LONE LIFE : 

gers stowed away the provender indicated that they 
had been lately on short commons. 

Much too familiar with the character of the abori- 
gines of North America to expect any information 
from them till the inward man was satisfied, I waited 
patiently for them to finish. If patience is a virtue, 
I certainly possess one, and on this occasion it was 
severely taxed. At length all desisted — the cessation 
being caused, in my belief, from their inability to 
contain more food. 

After a short conversation between the old chief 
and the handsome brave, all of which was unintelli- 
gible to me, the latter rose, and in a short and 
energetic speech — interpreted by Cariboo — stated 
that they had welcomed a stranger among them ; 
that he had gained their confidence, ultimately ob- 
tained their furs, under the promise of paying for 
them when he reached here, and that he had broken 
his word ; the result of which would entail misery on 
his people during the coming winter, as it was probably 
now too late in the season to take them to the nearest 
trading fort, which was many days to the north of 
their home. Their furs, or the goods promised them, 
they were determined to have, and hoped that neither 
the Eed-men that surrounded them or I would assist 
Antoine if he refused to do them justice. On the 
spokesman resuming his seat, I had a consultation 



A YEAR IN TEE WILDERNESS. 233 

with the old chief and Cariboo, both of whom at 
once, without a moment's hesitation, supported me in 
my resolution not to shield the aggressor, but use 
every effort to force him to do justice to his victims. 

Antoine and the Indians who had arrived with 
him, had established a camp about half a mile up the 
river ; there he had his purloined treasure stored, and 
as he had not been seen all day, or any of his atten- 
dants, who were members of the same tribe as the 
new-comers, he was probably unaware of the proxi- 
mity of the storm that was ready to burst about his 
shoulders. 

At length the four strangers rose, and accompanied 
by two of our people as guides, left. Although I felt 
reluctant at their departure, fearing that blood would 
be shed, I deemed it better not to interfere, but let 
events take their course, so for the time beino; dis- 
missed the matter from my thoughts. 

My two rescuers had not yet been paid ; as they 
were desirous of departing for home as soon as pos- 
sible, leaving the coterie who had dined with me, 
reinforced now by the squaws and one or two more 
of the old chief's people, I went to the wigwam to 
procure the necessary articles to remunerate them 
with, adding to them some trifling gewgaws. 

Truly, the Indian is a child, for when they beheld 
these useless additions, their tawdry brilliancy eclipsed 



234 LONE LIFE: 

in their eyes the value of the useful portion of their 
recompense. After explaining the uses, no short 
lesson, to which brooches, ear-rings, <fec. were to be 
put, we all sat down to a final smoke and cup of 
coffee. 

Conviviality was at its height, each was explaining 
and telling the other how mutual was the pleasure 
their visit had afforded them, when distant voices 
attracted our attention. Turning to see its producers 
we learned that it was the Indians returning from 
Antoine's — the majority of whom carried a load. 
a Well, this is better than anticipated ; the French- 
man has thought better of the matter and given up 
his ill-gained possessions." Such was the impression 
that passed through my mind ; but on the new-comers, 
now reinforced by their three companions, joining us, 
the erroneousness of my surmise was speedily ex- 
plained, for my late employe being absent fishing or 
trapping, the Indians had at once taken possession 
of the property misappropriated by the Frenchman, 
and without delay brought it here for transhipment. 

I urged the expediency of their using expedition ; 
but no, all I could do or say was useless ; the attrac- 
tions of a final talk, a farewell pipe, and a proposition 
that I should trade with them, were too great to 
be resisted, so all gave way to the two former plea- 



A TEAB IN THE WILDERNESS. 235 

sures. Not to embroil myself or allow it to become 
possible that I had taken any interest in their affairs,, 
I persistently refused to entertain any proposition in 
reference to becoming the possessor of their furs. 

Half an hour might have so passed when Antoine,. 
excited almost to frenzy, rushed among us. The 
baggage seemed to be the first object his attention 
was directed to ; but the Indians in a moment sprang 
to their feet, intervened between him and it, showing 
indisputably that they were prepared to do battle 
before they would submit to be again depriyed of 
it. His courage no one could gainsay ; even with 
such odds against him, I believe he would have ac- 
cepted the gauntlet ; but by chance he caught sight 
of me, and I suppose for a moment thought that I 
could be made useful in settling the affair amicably- 
But although he used every oath his vocabulary con- 
tained, gesticulated, and argued that all was his,, 
honestly his, pleaded, prayed, beseeched me to stand 
by him and help him to " wipe out the whole boil- 
ing," I refused to interfere unless he could satisfy me 
that he had come honestly by them ; but this he could 
not do, for he possessed absolutely nothing when he 
left me excepting what I had loaned him, and that 
was not one eighth part sufficient to purchase the 
valuable furs he had obtained. 



23(5 LONE LIFE : 

Finding his persuasions and entreaties vain, he 
now heaped upon me the vilest of abuse, called me 
coward, skunk, dog, and then politely invited me to 
come into the open and fight it out. To such a modest 
proposal I also refused to accede, but this he stated 
did not surprise him. After a pause, in which he 
had moved further from me and the Indians who 
were clustered round me, he recommenced his tirade : 

" I was in collusion with Indians to rob him, I had 
assisted them to take his furs from him that I might 
have them myself. No, he was d — d if I should." 

And with a rapidity that appeared impossible, he 
drew his revolver and pressed the trigger. Instinctively 
I saw his aim was true, so threw myself to one side. 
The movement saved my life — but next instant a se- 
cond barrel, less correctly aimed, but sufficiently accu- 
rate to graze my side and arm, was fired. From behind 
me a shrill scream rent the air; I turned to know who 
was the unfortunate — to my indescribable grief it 
was the old chief's daughter, who, poor child, so 
severely was she stricken that she now lay upon the 
ground weltering in her gore. 

I did not wait to know if I was further to be made 
a target, but sprung to the luckless creature's side, as 
all seemed petrified by the misfortune and incapable of 
action. The old chief on his knees moaned with an- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 237 

guish, and in a few moments looked as if lie had aged 
as many years. Never till now did I know the depth 
with which he loved his handsome, wayward daughter. 
Still, no assistance was forthcoming, the emergency 
of the occasion causing me to feel that I was justified 
in acting, so I tore her dress apart at the neck, drew 
it back over her right breast, and there discovered a 
livid spot, slightly marked with blood ; but, alas ! 
trifling as the wound appeared, well, well I knew the 
probable result to the bearer of it. 

Obtaining assistance we raised this forest flower 
and bore her to my shanty. On my couch we placed 
her, and although her tongue moved not, her 
lustrous eyes, now flushed with pain, spoke a thou- 
sand thanks. Giving the mother-in-law what in- 
structions I deemed necessary for the patient's 
comfort, I stuck my revolver, freshly loaded, in my 
belt, and a ball cartridge in each barrel of my double 
gun. I felt as I went forth that possibly indirectly, 
still I had something to do with this poor Indian 
girl's misfortune, and fear very much, although to 
shed human blood would to me be a deed I never 
could regard otherwise than with horror, that if the- 
cause of this sad episode had been within range, I 
should then and there have done my utmost to slay 



238 LOXE LIFE : 

Outside I found an angry assembly awaiting me ; 
the excitement of the moment which had swamped 
their powers to act had passed, and all believed it 
their duty to assist in securing the would-be assassin. 
My appearance among them armed told that I was 
■of their mind, so I was welcomed with sincerity, if 
not with demonstration. 

I could not help inquiring, for I knew that several 
•of the Indians were in possession of weapons when 
the sad affair occurred, why they had not shot him 
down? From none did I receive a direct answer, 
but have little doubt that the colour of the villain's 
skin was to what he owed his safety. 

For myself, when the fracas took place, I was not 
armed with aught but my knife, and although I feared 
the vindictiveness of the man's character, until he 
declared himself hostile — and that was done so sud- 
denly — I disliked to go or send for my firearms. 
But where was the blackguard now ? After firing 
the second shot he had fled towards the canoes, 
and no one having attempted to stop his flight, 
hy this time was doubtless several miles down the 
river. 

Master Antoine little knew the unfaltering sleuth 
hounds he had provoked to pursue him, or I believe 
lie would have amputated his fingers ere he would 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 239 

have permitted one of them on such an occasion to 
press a trigger. 

As in all matters where the Anglo-Saxon is asso- 
ciated with the half-civilised or barbarous inhabitants 
of a country, I was at once looked to as com- 
mandant. In favour of the old chief I would 
gladly have waived my position, but the poor old 
fellow was fairly beside himself with grief. Never- 
theless, he would not be left behind ; but true to his 
patrician lineage, volunteered to occupy a subservient 
place in the cause of justice. 

Delay is so often defeat, that I urged expedition. 
In a few minutes we had provisions for seven days 
in one of the canoes, and ammunition for the cap- 
ture of a stockade in our pouches ; but I could not 
go without bidding the poor girl good-bye, and giving 
further instructions for her comfort. My knowledge 
of surgery is but limited, still I know what will give 
relief to a sufferer placed in such a strait, so I 
re-entered the wigwam. My presence by her side 
was immediately detected, and although no welcome 
was accorded in words it was in looks. I took 
the almost pulseless hand in mine ; in the arm ap- 
peared no power, while the skin felt dry and 
feverish. 

Wiping away the blood that soiled her lips, I ex- 



240 LONE LIFE : 

plained to the old squaw that this was not to be 
neglected, that perfect quiet was to be enforced, and 
that when the patient appeared faint she was to have 
a few spoonfuls of some weak brandy and water. 
A drowsiness had now stolen over the victim, so I 
slipped away, harder in heart and more unforgiving 
and unrelenting than ever I had previously felt. 

My boy I left behind to guard my effects, with 
instructions that here he was to remain till my return, 
and do all in his power to assist the old woman in 
her task ; in fact, serve her and her patient as faith- 
fully as he had ever done me. Without a murmur 
he expressed his willingness, although well I knew 
how much better he would have been pleased to 
accompany me. 

But time was an object, we had a powerful crew 
and a new craft, the rapidly-handled paddles fairly 
lifted her from the water, and we rushed almost with 
the velocity of a steamboat past snags, trees, rocks, 
and pools. 

My hunting canoe the half-bred Frenchman had 
appropriated ; it was a small one, built to carry two 
persons, capable on an emergency of supporting three. 
With the advantage of the current in his favour, 
doubtless he could obtain considerable speed, more 
especially when he must well know that his life pro- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 241 

bably depended on the result; but for all that, we 
could do three miles for his two, and keep up the 
pace, which a single arm, more especially if not in 
training, would be unable. 

To myself it appeared a puzzle where the recreant 
could go, where he would find shelter, and how he 
was to live until he did. But not so with the 
Indians, from the first they expressed a decided belief 
that the Mission, four or five days distant, would be 
the sanctuary he would make for. 

The exercise, cool air, and change of scene had 
acted most beneficially upon the old chief; once 
more he was himself again, and the youngest of the 
crew did not handle his paddle with greater dexterity 
and strength. 

We had been three hours embarked, the sun 
was nigh touching the distant tree-tops, as we en- 
tered a long straight stretch of comparatively calm 
water, when the keen eyes of the pursuers distin- 
guished the canoe of the fugitive rounding a point 
where the stream took a curve. The chase was now 
truly exciting, and well for the paddles that they 
were seasoned, for they were plied with a vigour 
that no other wood could withstand. Down the centre 
of the stretch we shot, at a pace certainly not 
under six miles an hour. In a short time the 

vol. ir. K 



242 LONE LIFE: 

point was rounded where the foe had disappeared ; 
but unfortunately from here the river was as erratic 
in its course as it is possible to imagine ; pools and 
rapids were passed in rapid succession, one moment 
skimming over the surface on level keel, the next 
bounding over the surging foam. 

Night was rapidly approaching, and at the pace we 
had been rushing onward, must ere this have over- 
taken the pursued, but the Indians seemed unwilling 
to admit that such could be the case, so with un- 
daunted vigour continued exerting their strength 
for another mile, when it became obvious that we 
had got the slip, and that with all the cunning of 
the Indians, they had a proficient to contend with 
Master Antoine having doubtlessly landed immediately 
after doubling a point, and walked inland, taking the 
canoe with him, so that his place of disembarkation 
should not be discovered by us in our passage down- 
wards. 

Two widely different things are floating with the 
current of a rapid stream to returning against its 
powerful force. Without a murmur or word of 
complaint the canoe was put about, and renewed 
energy and determination displayed to cope with the 
difficulties now to be contended against. I am not 
certain that the reticence displayed by the dusky 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 243 

crew at being outwitted, was not intended as a 
compliment to the person who gave evidence of 
such knowledge of strategy. It was now night, 
not even gloaming, but Providence seemed to 
favour our work, for a large full moon rose over 
the tree-tops, and with her cold silvery light pointed 
out our course, unless in such places as the thick 
sombre foliaged cedars and hemlocks obtruded a 
barrier to its advance. And the stars joined in their 
good offices, and shone as brightly as ever it was my 
lot to see them. But the erratic course of the river, 
fringed as it was over the greater part of its course, 
possessed nooks and reaches shrouded in such im- 
penetrable darkness that no mortal eye could dis- 
cover a fugitive or evidence of his presence, unless 
by the most careful and close inspection. Knowing 
that such was the case, and the delay that must 
occur to thoroughly examine both sides of the stream 
on our route upwards, I proposed that we should at 
once ascend to where we had lost sight of our foe, 
commencing the search on both sides of the river 
from there, working downwards, while the canoe, 
mid-stream, was kept abreast of those hunting for 
the trail. 

It must have been midnight ere we recovered 
our lost ground, and then it was deemed better to 
r2 



244 LONE LIFE-. 

rest, that in the morning, when the fresh invigo- 
rating rays of the sun revealed all that was observ- 
able to human eye, all might feel fit and keen to 
renew the task they had undertaken. 

Such an unexpected and painful denouement had 
resulted to my kind and ever considerate friends from 
my bringing with me to their peaceful home a man 
I knew nothing of, that I felt most poignantly that 
I, although unwittingly, had been the primary cause 
of their grief. 

The more I thought and brooded over the mat- 
ter, the more unforgiving and unrelenting I felt 
against the aggressor. Then the poor victim, pro- 
strate on what was in all probability her last rest- 
ing-place in life, w r ould rise before me, her large 
pleading eyes ever from the darkness of the surround- 
ing wood seemed gazing into mine as if upbraiding 
me for having treated her with indifference. If she 
had loved me, was it her fault ? could the poor un- 
tutored child of nature help observing the distinc- 
tion between the civilised man and the savage, and 
make her choice in accordance with it ? No ! and 
it would be a poor compliment to our boasted en- 
lightenment if we thought otherwise. I am not 
vain enough to imagine it was my person attracted 
her, but believe any of my countrymen situated as 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 245 

I had been would have been received the same. No ; 
it was but the contrast between the indifference she 
received from her own race, and the courtesy paid 
her by the stranger that caused her to form an 
estimate entirely in favour of the latter. 



246 LONE LIFE: 



CHAPTER XV. 

With the first glimmer of daylight all were up 
and ready for a fresh start. Two of our company 
were transported to the other side of the stream, the 
others remaining on the side where we had slept, each 
party's duty being to hunt the margin for evidence 
where our foe had landed, while I remained midway 
between them, ready to transport either across to the 
side their services were required upon. But a short 
time had the search progressed when a whistle called 
me into the left bank ; the old chief pointed me out 
a piece of rag covered with pitch adhering to the 
trunk of a partially submerged cedar that projected 
from the bank. In a moment I recognised it as what 
I had used to caulk the vessel with. In drawing her 
ashore it had been scraped off the craft's bottom 
by the rough bark. As the soil around was soft and 
swampy, with little undergrowth from being subject 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 247 

to overflow, no difficulty was found in discovering 
the renegade's tracks. And as there was no sign of 
the canoe, and the impressions from his feet were deep, 
the scoundrel had doubtless carried it with him. For 
several hundred yards we followed the trail ; here the 
pursued had evidently halted, for an indentation 
showed that he had leaned the canoe against a tree, 
the reverse end on which it rested making a hollow 
of several inches in the soft black soil. 

Here we were again at fault, but not long so, for 
one of the younger Indians discovered a fresh trail 
leading back to the river. How this break had been 
made in the track was accounted for by the fugitive 
having mounted a windfall, walking along it till he 
reached some dead timber ; this he had doubtless also 
used to tread on, as he had retraced his steps to 
the river margin. On reaching the stream, again 
we were thrown out ; however, it was improbable that 
a person trying to avoid us would go down with the 
current, knowing us to be below, or cross and take the 
right bank, as it was the verge of a district traversed 
daily by members of the old chief's tribe ; from these 
reasons we resolved to search the western bank up- 
wards. 

Disembarking again at the point where we had 
passed the night, with undaunted energy in spite 



248 LONE LIFE: 

of the disappointments they had encountered, the 
Indians recommenced their labour, when after advanc- 
ing nearly a mile, a slow plaintive whistle called us 
together ; it was where an otter slide occurred, and 
the fugitive had taken advantage of it to disguise 
traces of his landing. But the penetrating eyes of the 
Indian are not easily deceived, for with unfailing 
precision they pointed it out, moreover took up the 
trail, and followed it with the ease that a hound 
would a hot scent. 

This was encouraging, and we all commenced to 
look forward to a speedy and successful termination 
of our expedition, when the canoe was found, cut 
in several places across the bottom, and the gunwale 
broken, doubtlessly done that now the scoundrel had 
no further use for it, no one else should have its 
services. 

This discovery only caused a temporary delay ; for- 
ward we advanced till four or five miles must have 
been traversed, and we commenced to leave the low 
ground for dry and more elevated land, making our 
progress much slower from the additional difficulty 
of keeping the track. Here the Indians held a con- 
sultation ; there appeared perfect unanimity in their 
opinions, so one of the party was dismissed to ex- 
amine a ford some miles ahead, while the others made 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 249 

the utmost exertion to follow the trail ; but the labour 
was exceedingly trying. Still no evidence of im- 
patience was displayed, their work was done as 
thoroughly and as uncomplainingly as at the start* 
To my knowledge food had not crossed some of 
their lips since the pursuit had commenced, yet 
they manifested the same lithesome activity, the 
same zeal in the cause of their chief, as if they 
had been the best housed, best fed retainers. 

The control that an Indian chief exercises over his 
followers has something inexplicable about it, and 
certainly worthy of the greatest admiration. They 
receive no emoluments of any description, patronage 
or partiality would in no way benefit them — in fact, 
there is nothing that the chief can do to improve 
their condition or reward their service — yet they are 
ever at his beck and call, willing to go to war or 
accept peace, to be friends or foes, in fact, anything 
that is demanded of them. The majority of these are 
hereditary, but failing an heir, then the person to 
rule them is selected, to whom, once they give their 
allegiance, it almost amounts to an impossibility to 
make them renounce their oath. Talk of loyalty ! how 
many of we civilised, highly-educated, enlightened 
people might go to the aborigines of North Ame- 
rica, the benighted heathen, the unredeemed savage, 



250 LONE LIFE : 

and learn what it is in the true acceptation of the 
term. 

We had been halted some time, to enjoy a ration 
of biscuit I had served, when we were rejoined by 
the young man who a couple of hours previously had 
been detached on special service. The information 
he brought was apparently important ; soon it was 
communicated to me. Antoine had forded a river 
three or four miles ahead, and, by taking such a 
course, he was doubtless directing his steps, as pre- 
viously supposed, to the Mission, where the familiar- 
named white squaw lived. 

A council of war was at once held. The chief pro- 
posed, and all agreed with him, that our force was not 
sufficiently strong to successfully carry out our expe- 
dition if Antoine had gone there. So a messenger 
should at once be despatched for three or four more 
of the tribe, who were to use every expedition to 
overtake us while we marched slowly forward. No 
sooner said than done. In five minutes afterwards 
might have been seen a young brave, going at the 
long swinging trot peculiar to his race, making rapidly 
for the river. 

Although nominally the head of the party, still I 
knew not the country through which we were pro- 
ceeding, nor could I compete with the Indians in 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 251 

tracking ; so my command was more honorary than 
real, the old chief being the person referred to on all 
occasions of moment, who, in spite of being full of 
years, proved himself thoroughly equal to any emer- 
gency that might arise, 

Cutting across country, to avoid the delay of track- 
ing, and possibly making a detour, we reached the 
stream alluded to, where tracks of the fugitive had 
been discovered. It was deep and sluggish-looking, at 
the same time remarkably straight. As far as the eye 
could see in either direction, there was nothing to in- 
dicate a ford, except at the point where we stood, and 
there, true enough, in the clammy, alluvial soil that 
margined it, were fresh moccasin tracks, apparently 
worn by a white man, as the toes were turned out. 
After fording the stream, which was waist deep, and 
now at this season icy cold, we again found the foot- 
marks, which we were able to trace for some distance, 
but lost again as soon as we got to the high grounds. 
So fresh were these indications of man's presence 
that but a few hours must have elapsed since they 
were made, so that twelve or fourteen miles at most 
separated the pursuer from the pursued. The old 
chief now felt convinced that his surmise was correct, 
and that the assassin was making for the mission- 
house, as, with the exception of one or two wandering 



252 LONE LIFE : 

families, whose camping-places scarcely ever con- 
tinued two weeks the same, there was no human 
habitation except it he could expect assistance from. 

Sundry proposals for making a detour were ad- 
vanced, so as to head the fugitive, but the old chief, 
not feeling equal to the exertion of a forced march, 
or not wishing to peril the lives of his followers, 
who might expose themselves if permitted to go 
ahead without him, forbade such a plan being thought 
of. Pushing forward at a steady, if not a hurried 
gait, although tracking in many places had become 
impossible from the rockiness and dryness of the soil, 
frequently we came across indications that the object 
of our pursuit had unquestionably passed that way. 
He must have deemed himself safe and free from all 
chance of pursuit, doubtless considering the trick he 
played us on the river sufficient to prevent our discover- 
ing his fresh starting-point, for he had evidently cap- 
tured, if not shot, a Canadian grouse, which he had 
plucked as he walked, for the feathers, from the still- 
ness of the atmosphere and the damp that hung on 
the shrubs, still adhered to them in sufficient num- 
bers to mark his route. 

Very confident must the blackguard have been to 
be guilty of so reckless a proceeding, for well he 
must have known that his life would most certainly 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 253 

be forfeited if lie fell into the pursuers' hands, if no 
one was there to plead for him who had sufficient 
interest to be listened to. And why should I inter- 
fere in his behalf, for was not I the victim he in- 
tended to sacrifice ? No, no ; time enough to say 
what I will do when asked for assistance ; and there 
is too much of the wolf in Master Antoine's character 
— that obstinacy that causes the animal to make his 
jaws close on his assailant with his last breath — for 
him to stoop to petition me for aid. 

A slight illumination to the north-west of our halt- 
ing-place foretold the probability of it being the re- 
flection of the fugitive's camp fire. Cariboo and the 
other young brave wished to set out as soon as it was 
discovered, and capture, if necessary kill, its maker, 
provided they found their surmises correct. The 
chief refused peremptorily to sanction such a course, 
in which I supported him, for well I knew what it 
meant, viz., that they would steal close to where their 
intended prey lay, wait till the dark cold hour 
before morning, and, when the fire had probably 
almost died out, shoot their foe at close quarters, or 
brain him with their tomahawks. Moreover, for all 
either of us knew, murder had not been committed, 
and unless death resulted from his pistol -shot, I would 
in no way countenance the taking of the man's life. 



254 LONE LIFE : 

I felt that I had to be very guarded in my conduct 
in the affair, for I did not wish to be accused of luke- 
warmness because the offender was a white man ; at 
the same time I owed my country and self a duty to 
prevent an excess of zeal on the part of the pursuers. 
It was arranged after breakfast that we should remain 
at our present halting-place till joined by the rein- 
forcement, so, with Cariboo as companion, I ascended 
one of the highest ridges in the vicinity to obtain a 
view over the country we were about to traverse. 
The timber that covered it was principally pine, and 
far as the eye could see there was no indication of 
large water-courses. I do not mean to say that there 
were no rills wide enough to step over, because be- 
tween each ridge such could be found ; but nothing 
larger; so that if the lumberman should in future 
visit this locality he will find the labour of getting 
the logs out more than sufficient to eat up the remu- 
neration for his toil. 

From the utter stillness that reigned around, and 
the undeviating similarity of the scene — ridge after 
ridge appearing a counterpart of its neighbours, and 
the whole surmounted with the same sombre foliaged 
trees, they varying so little in form that it had 
the most depressing effects upon my spirits — sin- 
cerely I wished that circumstances had not oc- 



A TEAE IN THE "WILDERNESS. 255 

cufred to bring me here ; further, I had a duty to per- 
form that now the angry flush of passion had passed 
over, was far from agreeable. Moreover, the season 
was getting so late, that it promised almost to be 
impossible for me to reach civilisation this year ; for 
our return to the shanty would not occur for many 
clays, whereas, if the necessity of this expedition had 
not taken place, I should have been on the verge of 
starting for home, when nothing would be allowed 
to delay me that human agency could overcome. 

My companion had discovered a porcupine's re- 
treat. Not to use an effort to capture such a whole- 
some and savoury addition to our larder, he would 
have deemed neglecting the good things Providence 
placed in his way, so with heart and soul he devoted 
himself in enlarging the orifice so as to reach his 
prey. As frequently happens when persons are em- 
ployed in the Woods, they are visited by some of its 
tiny residents either to watch what they are about, 
or with the hope of obtaining a meal through their 
agency. The little strangers were a party of 
those saucy, charming, ever-welcome, active little 
fellows, blue-caps {Partis cceruleus), the same bird 
that is so well known at home, and a special favourite 
with every school-boy. In the northern portion of 
the North- American continent where timber abounds. 



256 LONE LIFE : 

they are extremely numerous. As I observed these 
companions of my childhood, scenes far distant arose 
before me. Places where I had found their nests, a 
hole in an apple-tree, a chink in some shrub-clad 
wall, or even in the spout of an old pump, were re- 
called to memory, and how the valiant little mother 
would puff herself out in her enmity at her discoverers, 
and nip their fingers if bold enough to intrude their 
hands. Again, I could recollect being so cruel, and 
getting deservedly well punished for my conduct, de- 
priving the fussy little parent of her voluminous nest of 
moss and feathers, and an endless number of pretty 
little white eggs sparsely marked with tiny red spots. 
Aye, nearly thirty years have passed since then, still 
the remembrance of them is as fresh as if they oc- 
curred but yesterday. And here, so far away from the 
scene of these exploits, are their cousins as impudent 
and prying as those across the wide Atlantic ocean. 

I was not long in learning the object that attracted 
them and induced them to favour us with their 
society. It was not the love of company as some 
might imagine, far more selfish motives were the 
incentive. Cariboo had removed and pulled to 
pieces in his labours an old decayed log, throwing 
the different portions some feet behind him ; this 
rotten timber was perfectly honey-combed with ants, 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 257 

and their eggs were laid bare and exposed on every 
fragment; and the activity and appetite displayed 
by my feathered pets in collecting their favourite 
food was truly surprising. I have often wondered at 
the Indian's capacity for stowage of food ; but here 
they had not a chance in rivalry if consumption in 
proportion to size of body be considered. But the 
prickly beast had been secured, so I bid the wee 
birdies good-bye, and left them uninterrupted to 
enjoy the good things that Providence had provided 
for them. 

It is a curious circumstance and worthy of con- 
sideration, that the northern and temperate parts of 
North America possess many birds and quadrupeds 
almost identical with those of the same regions of 
Europe. As these must have had a common origin, 
and are capable of standing severe cold, which is 
their fatherland *? and how did they travel from the 
one to the other? Over regions unknown to us far 
up to the north where the seas that divide the con- 
tinents are narrow and broken by the occurrence of 
numerous islands or connected by fields of ice. 

In the temperate regions of South Africa, Austra- 
lia, and South America this does not occur, for there 
are no species of the one land common to the other, 
because they are severed by oceans too wide for the 

VOL. II. S 



258 LONE LIFE: 

feathered families to traverse, and the belt of tropics 
that intervenes between north and south is so insu- 
perable a barrier against migration that if attempted 
it never appears to be done so with success. One 
exception to this I know, viz., the snipe, for I have 
shot them south of the equator, and apparently iden- 
tical with those of Northern Europe. But this leads 
me to believe that the snipe does not go north of the 
temperate zone, and so, although capable of enduring 
severe cold, could not submit to the severity of an 
Arctic winter, if even it were, under such circum- 
stances, able to procure food, which it could not 
after frost has set its stamp on the country. 



A TEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 259= 



CHAPTER XVI. 

On reaching our rendezvous, we found that the 
old chief had killed some grouse, which he had already 
prepared for cooking. This, combined with Cari- 
boo's fortune, was most acceptable, for our supply of 
provisions was limited, and in a few hours there 
would be more mouths to feed, and short commons has 
almost as demoralising an effect upon Indians as upon 
white men. True the former, if entirely deprived of 
food, would live nearly double the length of time that 
a European would, but, with all their stoicism and this 
advantage, they have a very great objection to an 
empty stomach. Before dark we were joined by the re- 
inforcement, who looked sorely travel-stained, for they 
had not lagged by the way. One of the new arrivals 
had with him an indescribable cur dog, almost desti- 
tute of hair, which was reported to possess the quality 
of running a human trail. Whether this be true or 
not, the fugitive .would have little to fear from its 

s2 



280 LONE LIFE: 

ferocity, for a well-directed kick or cut of a cane 
would immediately have rendered the creature hors 
de combat. 

As soon as the moon was sufficiently elevated to 
give us the assistance of its light, a fresh start was 
made, the course being across country without any 
sign of a trail, our line of march as usual in Indian 
file, the only mode ever adopted by the abori- 
gines. This tramp was extremely fatiguing to me, 
as my eyes being less keen than my companions', 
I constantly kept toeing stumps, or falling over 
boughs and limbs that had dropped from the sur- 
rounding trees. Not a whisper was spoken by any 
of the party, and, but for my floundering about, 
the cortege might have passed within fifty yards of a 
vigilant sentinel without being detected. For the 
advance-guard of an army, for scouting and outpost 
duty, these people would be invaluable, and although 
individually they are not able physically to cope with 
a white man, still they are possessed of courage and 
wonderful powers of endurance, and for forced 
marches, even when hampered with a load, the speed 
and facility with which they adapt themselves to the 
circumstances of any position that may arise, is truly 
wonderful. The supposition of the old chief was 
again correct; the fugitive had crossed a rivulet 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 261 

some hours in our advance — footsteps, crushed grass, 
and trampled-down brush told the tale. So, unless 
the pursued should become alarmed, and double back, 
no doubt existed in our minds that he was making his 
way to the Mission. 

Being satisfied with the result, a halt for some 
hours was called. During this the old chief and my- 
self held a consultation, when 'it was decided that 
every effort should be made to effect Antoine's cap- 
ture without disabling or even wounding him. When 
our resolve was made public it evidently created 
great dissatisfaction among our followers. One went 
so far as to attempt to argue the matter, the pith of 
his speech being that, suppose the would-be assassin 
had been an Indian instead of a white man, such 
leniency would not have been shown him ; therefore 
in our eyes the white man was better than the Indian. 
How was he better ? He knew more, could read and 
write, lived in communities where laws existed, and 
were strictly enforced against evil doers. Thus the 
white man, who had these advantages, and possessed 
all this knowledge, when guilty of a crime should 
be more severely dealt with than a poor ignorant 
Indian committing the same fault. In this there was 
doubtless much truth. The old chief seemingly also 
thought so, and that if he attempted arguing the 



262 LONE LIFE: 

matter he would have been worsted, so, rising on his 
feet in the graceful manner I have so often seen him 
do when he had something of importance to com- 
municate, waving his hands to call for silence, simply 
said. " It is my will." And from that instant not a 
further question on the propriety of the resolution 
was mooted. 

Next morning when our start was made the dog 
was tried. For a length of time the animal did not 
seem to understand what was required of him, and 
no wonder, for the trail was now many hours' old and 
therefore cold ; however, at length he settled to his 
work, but incessantly kept giving tongue, a cir- 
cumstance that if his services had been continued 
till we came near the fugitive would have put 
him on his guard, thus giving him time to prepare 
his weapons for defence, and prevent our taking 
him by surprise. So the cur had a string put 
round his neck, and was handed over to the care of 
his owner. 

The course Antoine pursued must have been a 
marked way, although when we came upon it or 
crossed it, I could see no indication that such was 
the case, for the Indians always appeared to be able to 
cross his trail, and that without any apparent dif- 
ficulty. 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 263 

The want of larger water- courses than the most 
diminutive rivulets was one of the marked peculi- 
arities of the country through which we were proceed- 
ing; the ground, unless on the margin of these, was 
seldom swampy, and the quantity of timber, which ap- 
peared illimitable, was not so large, although quite as 
dense, as that in the vicinity of the shanty. Doubtless 
some day this will be a grand sheep country, but 
even if emigration poured into it to-morrow, that 
date must be some time distant, for it will take twenty 
years at least after the trees have been felled to get 
rid of the stumps, aye possibly longer than that, for 
of all uncompromising things with a power to resist 
decay, well known to the settler's cost, the pine- 
stump takes the lead. On our tramp I have fre- 
quently observed deer tracks, and other indica- 
tions of their presence, but so far have not seen 
any, although the Indians are frequently reporting 
their viewing them. My never taking the lead, 
and their eyes being more keen than mine to de- 
tect the presence of animal life, doubtless accounts 
for this. A hare now partially white with black tips 
to its ears is very common ; its resemblance to the 
mountain or blue hare of Scotland is no greater than 
similarity of colour, for the animal of this region is 
much more compact in build, and gifted, I should 



264 LONE LIFE : 

think, with more cunning and less agility ; moreover, 
it is an inhabitant of the timber lands, the other of 
the bleak hill-sides. The Canadian grouse (Tetrao 
Canadiensis) is also frequently flushed, when they 
take shelter in the nearest limb, their confidence in 
man's good intentions, the wonderful amount of 
curiosity they display, and the grotesque attitudes 
they get into to gratify it, being ludicrous in the 
extreme. 

That night another consultation was held. It was 
evident to all that the fugitive had now no idea of 
retracing his steps, and endeavouring to reach civili- 
sation at present, but to push on to the Mission, 
either to make it a halting-place till chance would 
afford him an opportunity of going further, or if not 
remaining there till spring opened. Such being the 
case it was determined to hurry forward, so as to get 
in advance of him and intercept him a mile or two 
from his destination, as it was probable that his near 
approach to it, without having learned any evidence 
of pursuit, would, from conscious security, induce 
him to be off his guard, and so be more easily 
made a prisoner. 

The details of the next tw T o days' march are des- 
titute of interest, for the same monotonous forest 
surrounded us, and the rivulets no larger than here- 



A YEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 265 

tofore bad exactly the same characteristics. It was 
night when we reached the place destined for our 
ambuscade. The spot was admirably suited for 
such a purpose : a dip between two ridges covered 
with brush and dwarf timber, where a stream about 
twenty yards wide was crossed by a path, evidently 
made by the frequenters of the Mission, which was 
only two miles distant. Four men were left close to 
the brook's margin, while I and the others crossed 
over and secreted ourselves on the river side. My 
services could have been dispensed with, but I feared 
that the young Indians might in their passion vent 
their wrath upon the prisoner, if no one but the old 
chief was there to restrain them. 

It was surmised by all that if Antoine was only 
a few hours behind us, that darkness would not 
cause him to stop, but that he would push on with- 
out halt till shelter, now so close, was reached. Thus 
all with anxious anticipation looked forward to a 
speedy termination to their labour. 

u But man proposes, God disposes." After an 
anxious vigilant night, we were as far from at- 
taining our purpose as ever. Some surmised that 
we were late in reaching here, and that our prey 
had passed before we had come to it, but an exa- 
mination of the ground told that no human foot 



2Q6 LONE LIFE : 

had trod in the vicinity for days. Then a fresh 
cause of difficulty arose by one of the Indians stating 
that there was another but more circuitous and less 
used path to the Mission, a mile or two further up 
the stream, and that it was not improbable that 
Antoine, having been here in the summer, knew of it, 
and consequently had selected it. But the old chief 
was determined ; he would not allow the party to be 
separated, and felt convinced that we had made choice 
of the proper place. Day commenced, although with 
flagging steps to wear by, and the most sanguine 
began to look discouraged ; doubts of the propriety 
of spending another night here were even advanced, 
when the confounded dog, that had been tied up as 
useless, barked in challenge to some one approaching ; 
a voice, and one that all immediately recognised, 
spoke to it in the coaxing terms usually employed 
to pacify such animals. From the intonation it was 
evident that the circumstance had not produced any 
alarm in the speaker, he possibly thinking it was one 
of the curs belonging to some of the persons residing 
at the Mission. 

Soon after, the object of our search came in view. 
At the margin he halted for a moment, then entered 
the stream and traversed it ; but as he was leaving 
the water to ascend the steep bank, he was sprung 
upon by those in front of him, his arms pinioned, 



A YEAE IX THE WILDERNESS. 267 

and his revolver and knife taken away, the other 
Indians rushing across the water to the assistance of 
the captors. 

Escorting our prisoner, at length we reached the 
Mission, the expression that marked the different 
members of the cortege being wonderfully at variance ; 
on the brow and in the dark snake-like eye of the 
younger Indian was a look which predicted a longing 
for revenge, a hungering after blood difficult to 
satisfy, while the prisoner returned with scorn their 
plainly expressed hostility. 

Speaking of the Mission, a place inhabited by per-, 
sons devoted to a hoi}' life, persons who have given up 
the world to preach glad tidings to the heathen, I ex- 
pected to find a spot hallowed and sacred from its very 
defencelessness, surrounded by fruit trees and gardens, 
reared under the industrious and skilful hands of its 
inhabitants ; but such was not the case, for an old 
stockade fence, such as may be seen surrounding the 
existing frontier or fur-trading forts, enclosed an 
area of about half an acre, in which were three log- 
houses, and an old dingy barn-like edifice, which the 
old chief designated the home of the Great Spirit. 

Quiet and stealthy as our approach had been — and 
who can traverse the ground with such perfect free- 
dom from noise as the moccasin foot-clad Indian? — our 
advance was soon made known by the deep sharp 



268 LONE LIFE : 

voice of half a dozen curs, whose flat sides and dis- 
tinctly marked ribs told but too plainly that they did 
not live sumptuously. But the Indian dog ever has 
this gaunt, half-starved look, for whether food be 
abundant in the camp, or otherwise, their owners 
seem to have the belief that a dog is of no value that 
cannot provide for its own wants. 

Sad, indeed, is the fate of these unhappy curs, 
born frequently without a shelter, nursed by a half- 
starved mother, abused and punished by whosoever 
chooses to do so, seldom free from mange, they 
prematurely become old, and ultimately, when unable 
to keep up with their owners while travelling, are 
left behind to become the prey of the first hungry 
wolf that falls across them. 

The inhabitants of the Mission well knew what 
the angry voices of the ill-mannered pack indicated, 
and soon a motley crew of about a dozen half-breeds 
and Indians came forth. A more uninteresting, filthy, 
unattractive crowd I have seldom seen, and if such 
were the specimens of humanity that the missionaries 
had to exercise their vocation on, or that this was a 
type of the result of their labours, then those good 
people that absent themselves from country friends 
and civilisation are to be pitied. 

However, with all their unattractiveness of ap- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 269 

pearance, they possessed the virtue of hospitality, 
and angry was the controversy, nay more, blows 
nearly ensued between the various contestants who 
desired to become our hosts. 

Two very repulsive-looking men seized me, one 
dragged me to the left, while another, nolens volens, 
pulled me to the right ; to save my clothing, if for 
no other motive, caused me rather roughly to shake 
them off, when who should you think appeared on 
the scene but the chiefs youngest daughter, who 
had been induced to leave her people and home by 
Antoine. Reproaches for her desertion by him na- 
turally might have been expected ; but no, true to 
her love in spite of all she had suffered, she passed 
her father as if she ignored his presence in toto, 
and threw herself into the prisoner's arms. 

Her anguish when she found that he was tied was 
most touching, and first one then another she sup- 
plicated with tearful eye and upraised hand to cut his 
bonds. 

But no, Antoine was doomed, not even her in- 
fluence could save him from his fate, and soon the 
poor girl felt convinced that her efforts were but 
waste of time and strength. 

At length she sadly sat dowTi beside him, and 
with a sad look of submission to the decrees of fate 



270 LONE LIFE : 

that must have affected the most callous, placed her 
paramour's bound hands upon her head. 

After a due amount of consideration T selected for 
my residence, what appeared to be the largest and 
best kept of the buildings ; but bad indeed was the 
best, for of all the filthy, redolent of foul gases, dingy 
dwellings I had ever seen, this proved the worst. 

Was it to be wondered at, then, that I soon stole 
forth, not only to breathe the pure air of heaven, 
but to avoid a species of cross-examination that was 
exceedingly distasteful % A building, however humble, 
dedicated by man to God's service, in its repose, has 
ever had for me a great attraction, for in the deep 
and sombre shadows that surround you when under 
its roof, there is a feeling paramount in my bosom that 
I am between the ordinary outer world and a realm 
we only know by imagination. Of course, few of 
us are constructed alike, so outer influences have 
different effects ; thus, all may not think or feel as I 
do ; but this I will say, that I never leave a house 
of worship, of whatever denomination it may be, 
without feeling a better man, aye, and what a happy 
feeling that is, for it causes me to enjoy the sensa- 
tion experienced by the footsore, worn-out wanderer, 
who through some chance combination of circum- 
stances is able to get rid of a portion of a burden 



A YBAE IN THE WILDEBNESS. 271 

that for miles lias been crushing him down into the 
dust, and bringing him nearer and nearer to his 
final parade. 

The interior of the chapel was far from osten- 
tatious ; here and there upon its walls hung a cheap 
and indifferent print, while the communion-table was 
decorated with a sadly-tarnished cover, one that evi- 
dently had seen long years of service, and on which 
were placed a cross supporting a representation of 
the dead Saviour, and flanked on either side by 
four candlesticks of verdigris - corroded brass. So 
scant was the light that minutes were required for 
the eye to distinguish the surroundings, although 
from a window in the gable a long dusty narrow 
stream of the warm rays of the setting sun, straight 
as an arrow in its flight, came from roof to transept. 
With cautious and subdued step I moved forward. 
A desire to approach the holiest portion of the 
edifice and humble myself, was the cause ; by 
degrees space between me and the door was in- 
creased, till I was on the verge of the sanctuary. In 
another moment I should have been on my knees, 
when a movement of something earthly caught my 
ear, my eye instinctively followed the sound, when it 
rested upon a pale careworn face, so sad, so earnest, 
yet so submissive, that I stood spell-bound. In those 



272 LONE LIFE: 

features was a memory of the past, a dream of boy- 
hood formed into a reality, an age dead brought 
back to life. But who could it be, some one I 
had met previously ; but where and when ? Still 
the mind and memory worked together and whis- 
pered that she I gazed on was no ordinary ac- 
quaintance, but one whose fate had been at some 
past period closely interwoven with my own. 

Disturb the unknown in her worship to satisfy my 
curiosity, would have been sacrilege, so I withdrew as 
silently as I had entered, with a freight of thought 
upon my mind that almost overwhelmed me. Out- 
side the building long I stood, and slow the minutes 
glided into the past, yet I was not impatient, and 
therefore did not fret at the delay. 

The sun had disappeared, and the dark shadows 
from the hill-side and giant trees were commencing 
to amalgamate in one undefinable mass, when the 
door was gently opened, and a stooping, heavily- 
draped figure, with weary, slow, and uncertain step 
approached me. But a few yards severed us before 
she raised her head ; previous to that she was ignorant 
of my presence, but when she did so. and the full 
face was revealed, I discovered that it was my boy- 
love, the dream of my youth, the never-forgotten 
daughter of the old captain at Orillia. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 273 

Aye, it was she, she whose vision I had often seen 
in imagination hovering near me in the snow-sweep- 
ing nights of warfare when the exposed trench was 
my resting-place, or when in murky, blustering dark- 
ness the gallant craft that bore me pitched into the 
ever hungry seas that craved to engulf it. Yes, it 
was she, but how sad the change ; the bright joyous 
girl of twenty years ago, now the decrepit, worn- 
out, prematurely aged woman. Ct Time," I thought, 
"had dealt roughly with me, but how leniently in 
comparison." 

My tongue for a moment, through the influences 
of astonishment and surprise, lost its power ; at length 
with abated breath, as if speaking what I had ceased 
to have a right even to think of in silence, I pro- 
nounced her name. 

" Not that, not that," she answered. " Years have 
glided by since the world knew me by that name. I 
am now the Sister Dolores, and truly I have been well 
called ; but who are you, speak, I say, who are you ?" 
gazing more and more intently in my face till her 
very eyes seemed to search my soul. " Again, I 
say, who are you V 

Fear for the consequences made my utterance slow; 
at length my Christian name was pronounced, when a 
shriek, so long, so shrill, that it appeared as if out of 

VOL. II. T 



274 lone life : 

the power of mortals to produce, was uttered, and ere 
I could collect presence of mind to give her support, 
she fell prostrate on the earth. 

Before I had time even to raise her, before I 
could come to her relief, a crowd had assembled, and 
the apparently lifeless form was carried off. Sad was 
my heart as I watched her borne away. 

So at last my craving to know who is the White 
Squaw has been gratified, and how cruelly has the 
information been imparted to me. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 275 



CHAPTER XVII. 

A more miserable night than the one that followed 
I do not think it would be possible to pass ; filth pre- 
dominated everywhere, even in the cooking, and the 
room stunk from the crowd of unwashed mortality 
that blocked up every available corner, moreover, it 
literally swarmed with fleas, and no amount of in- 
genuity would deny them becoming on such terms 
of intimacy with your person that might be exceed- 
ingly agreeable to them, but far from so to you. 

I sat and smoked pipe after pipe, but even this 
consoler for nearly all earthly ills was but a Job's 
comforter after all, so that I could see no way out 
of my difficulties. If it had not been so late, and 
that the evening had set in bitterly cold, I would 
have proposed camping out ; even if the Indians did 
not choose to do the same, still I could induce them 
t2 



276 LONE LIFE : 

to erect a shelter for my sole accommodation, of 
cedar or hemlock boughs, but it was too late, so like 
the young cubs I was forced to grin and bear it. 

However slowly time may pass when we are suffer- 
ing discomfort, still if you have patience it will ulti- 
mately slip away, and the hour for retiring to my 
blanket had almost arrived, when the door of the 
house was opened, and a man in the garb of a priest 
entered. 

He was full of years, far beyond three score and 
ten, still his figure was erect, while from his chin 
depended a long beard, white as snow. Each inmate 
of the cabin, as he passed, bowed his head almost 
to the ground, as if inspired with more than natural 
reverence. At length he approached where I was 
seated, and in soft musical language, strongly tinc- 
tured with a French accent, spoke to me. So prepos- 
sessing was his manner, so thoroughly did he look 
what I knew him to be, that he required no in- 
dorsement to make any one believe that he was a 
good and true servant of the Cross. 

" My son, you are a Catholic V ' 

" Yes, father, I am." 

" I would speak with you, but not before those 
that are present. Will you accompany me ?" 

We crossed the enclosure to a small log-house — so 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 277 

small externally that, deducting the room occupied by 
the bedstead, there must have been but a scant 
supply of space for the ordinary duties of life. A 
hoarse key grated in the door, a ponderous bolt was 
shot with the report of a pistol, and we entered, the 
whole being in the most impenetrable darkness. At 
length a match was struck, and a saucer of grease 
with a thin meagre wick found, which scarcely pro- 
duced sufficient light to see into the corners of the 
limited apartment. A perfect anchorite this man 
must have been ; within the dwelling was not a 
vestige of aught that spoke of comfort in the most 
limited sense, and yet at his age, after his years of 
toil and labour in his Master's service, I could not 
help thinking he deserved a better sunset to his life ; 
possibly he desired no other, but conscious that he 
had done his work, reaped his pleasure in the know- 
ledge of it. 

Often do I think what a fearful thing it is, to glide 
on into the vale of years, till you have approached so 
nigh the verge of the precipice, that it is but the 
matter of days, possibly hours, till you fall over into 
the gulf of eternity, and not to have one of your own 
flesh and blood, your own kith and kin to watch by 
you, tend you in your weakness, and help to shelter 
the flickering light of departing life from the cool 



278 LONE LIFE : 

blast that would exterminate it before its time. Yes, 
sad indeed must be the hours that precede demise, 
when left alone to combat death. 

And this is what this aged and holy man has to 
look forward to, at no very distant date ; but to my 
narrative. 

" My son, as a Christian, will you not do me a 
favour f ' he inquired. 

u Certainly, if in my power." 

" Well, assist me to have my countryman libe- 
rated ; the Indians will assuredly take his life, and he 
is a sinner, a bad man I fear, and so the less pre- 
pared to leave this world." 

u But I cannot interfere, he has committed murder, 
taken a human life. No, father, ask me what you 
will that is in my power to grant, and willingly will 
I do it ; but you now require of me what I have no 
power to do." 

Ci But, my son, you can intercede with the old chief 
in his behalf, and doubtless will succeed ; but if you 
should not, you can afford him an opportunity to 
escape, and you will assuredly receive a blessing. 
Think if you were in his position through the chance 
of circumstances, and think further that, you as well 
as all of us will some day have to crave for mercy ^ 
yes, beg and importune for it, for we are all sinners, 



A YEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 279 

and as you hope to receive forgiveness, stretch forth 
your hand to rescue this unfortunate man from an 
untimely end, and probably a death by torture. 
Grant me what I ask, and you shall be remembered 
in my prayers." 

" Once more/ father, I cannot ; it grieves me to 
refuse, but it is out of my power." 

My decision caused the old man's features to alter 
from the former kindly look to one indicating anger. 
After rising to depart, I said, " Father, be not angry 
with me, I have miles to travel, and numerous 
dangers to encounter before I reach civilisation ; let 
us part in peace and with your blessing, for we 
probably shall never meet again." 

But he drew himself up to his full height, 
fixed his keen penetrating eyes upon me, and point- 
ing to the door said, " My blessing, rather my curse ! 
You, a Christian, yet would hand over one of your 
own faith to the unbaptised heathen, go ! And may 
you be dealt with as you deal with others." 

Remonstrance was useless ; grieved, yes, even sick 
at heart, I stole forth into the night air. 

I certainly had had sufficient excitement for one 
day to cause an exhausted body and overwrought 
brain to crave for rest; but no, lie which way I 
would, close my eyes, and keep them shut for hide- 



280 LONE LIFE : 

finite periods of time, alter the position of my 
blankets or temporary pillow, sleep persistently re- 
fused to come to my aid. 

And the atmosphere was stifling, not from heat, 
but from the foetid exhalations arising from my 
numerous filthy comrades. 

At length I could endure my position no longer, 
so rose and went forth. The night air was intensely 
cold, so cold that it crept into the uttermost parts of 
my body, still, even that was preferable to the foul 
atmosphere of the confined cabin. At length I reached 
the river-side, the water broke and played in a thou- 
sand eddying, murmuring ripples, while the cold clear 
light of a rising moon tipped their surface with a 
sheen, so cold and metallic as to cause me to draw 
away for fear a false or too hurried step would pre- 
cipitate me into its embrace. And away across the 
river loomed the dark giant hemlocks and pines, 
blended into one sombre funeral pall without break 
or outline. As I looked upon the scene a weird-like 
feeling stole over me, not lessened by the distant, 
but distinct bay of the grey wolf. Again, again, 
his call was answered, each voice bringing fancies 
that the fiends of hell were loose and seeking for 
their victims. 

I am, to a certain extent, superstitious — I think all 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 281 

my countrymen are more or less so — so I remained 
and listened, and almost feared that some of the 
denizens of another world were about to appear, or 
that although invisible they were floating round me, 
plotting in their elfish spite some piece of ill-fortnne to 
be practised on me. Nearer and more doleful sounded 
the voices of the wolves, and the scornful maniacal 
call of the owl chimed in to add fresh horror to the 
scene. I was about to retire, for I was excited, 
nervous, and the body craved for what it would not 
accept, rest, when my arm was touched so gently, 
so imperceptibly, that it might have been caused 
by the caress of a playful breeze. I turned, started 
back, for I was totally unprepared to find that I 
was not alone, beside me stood a heavily-draped 
female figure. 

" Be not alarmed, it is me." I knew the voice too 
well to require further identity. " I am here to seek 
a favour at your hands. You owe me one, for you 
stole my girlish heart, and vowed to love me ever, 
but fate took you away, and as distance increased 
between us and months and years glided on, hope 
died out and left me widowed in heart, and wrecked 
in health. I say for this you owe me reparation, and 
by granting my request I freely forgive you for the 
past, aye everything, although you have made me 



282 LONE LIFE: 

old, who am yet young, a broken-hearted woman 
before I knew the joys of life." 
• " Say no more, I know it all. Whatever I can do, 
shall be done." 

" Save this man. You refused to listen to the en- 
treaties of the good old father, listen now to mine, so 
that in the future short span of life before me, I may 
still keep you as the idol of my memory, and believe 
that you are not so faithless as I thought yon. We 
shall never meet again on earth, you will not, dare 
not refuse my last request." 

" I had resolved not to interfere ; but your appeal 
I cannot refuse. I will do my best." 

A hand was held out, a hand I had so often 
kissed when the warm blood of youth flowed through 
its veins. Now, when I took it, it was cold and damp, 
and wasted away ; I raised it to my lips, in a moment 
after it was withdrawn, and noiselessly as did Sister 
Dolores approach me, as silently did she steal 
away. 

Alone, yes I was again alone, and I feared to be 
so, my feelings were so overwrought that I dreaded 
solitude, dreaded my own dark shadow, so hastened, 
with the steps of the guilty, back to the dwellings. 

On passing the shanty where the prisoner was con- 
fined, I looked into the room, for the door was on 
the jar ; in a corner lit up by the yellow flickering un- 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 283 

certain light of the lire sat Antoine, his black eyes 
illuminated with feelings of revenge and passion. 
As 1 advanced, they caught mine — what deadly hate 
was in that look. Leaning against him, and sound 
asleep, her face brightened with a childish smile, 
reposed the poor Indian girl, true to her love, more 
true than ever because the object of her adoration 
was in trouble. 

What sting can hurt like being deserted by her 
we love? What can give such consolation in our 
misfortunes, as to know that she, in whom all our 
hopes and aspirations are centred, loves deeper 
and more fondly the heavier and more intense our 
miseries ? 

Anxious not to disturb the slumberers, I left, 
pondering how I was to fulfil my lately-made 
promise. 

Day broke dismal and drear, the clouds appeared 
only penning up their tears, to break out afresh in 
bitterer grief ; the earth, the trees, the hill-sides were 
humid and moist, while a raw fog in fleecy vapours 
arose with slow but doubtful progress. 

When all was ready for our return journey, and 
prisoner, escort, and chief were assembled, I ap- 
proached the old man, and asked him to let Antoine 
go. I was going to plead, to urge my case in the 
strongest terms, but the settled determined look that 



284 LONE LIFE : 

passed over his brow, and the scowling, vindictive, 
defiant look of his followers told me that any further 
effort was but a waste of breath, and likely to entail 
upon myself trouble. The cavalcade was reinforced 
by the old man's daughter, and not for a moment 
did she leave the side of the object of her love ; for 
the first few miles our progress was slow, but when 
the sun had burst forth, and his genial welcome 
rays had warmed and dried both ground and herbage, 
our advance became more rapid. 

Towards noon an odour peculiar to the wild lands, 
and one not to be forgotten when experienced, 
attracted universal comment, for it was the peculiar 
smell that indicated that the forest was on fire. In 
this, however, there was deemed to be nothing 
alarming, for every indication told that the fire was 
still far distant; and, moreover, except a change 
of wind occurred, it was far from probable that it 
would advance in our direction. 

The Indians are so skilled in woodcraft, that the 
matter did not trouble me, especially as they showed 
no indication of regarding it as serious. Thus, 
when we came to our halting-place, I selected my 
place for the night, hoping that sleep would be 
vouchsafed me in sufficient quantity to make up for 
the past deficiency I had suffered. 



A TEAE IN THE WILDERNESS. 285 

By rotation the prisoner was guarded, each taking 
a term of two hours' duty. My watch was to be from 
about twelve to two in the morning. Soundly I slept 
when I was ruthlessly awoke to go on sentry. What 
would I not have given to have rested longer. 
Taking my revolver, I sat down upon a log, hating 
the task, but determined to fulfil it. Half an hour I 
sat moodily pondering over the past, recalling scenes 
of different and distant lands, climes where the sun 
is always bright and gladdening, and where the 
sparkling seas reflect a thousand glistening lights ; 
where palm and cypress wave, and the coo of the 
love-sick dove is drowned by the roar of the stealthy 
man-eater. Fair Japan and its verdant hills, sterile- 
coasted China and its clay-baked mountains flitted 
before me like the rapid repetition of dissolving views, 
when Antoine spoke: 

" Give me a chance, captain, and I will repay you 
some day." 

"I cannot; the Indians have shown their con- 
fidence in my honour by placing me as a guard over 
you, that confidence I will not abuse ; at the right 
time and place I will serve you to the utmost of my 
ability, you must rest satisfied with this promise." 

While this conversation was going on, the chief's 
daughter had left her place beside him, soon after 



286 LONE LIFE : 

returning. There was something in her manner that 
raised my suspicions. Closely watching her I observed 
that in her right hand was a knife, doubtless intended 
to cut the cords that bound the hands of her lover. 
In amoment I seized her ; like a fiend she fought, and 
but for my power of wrist enabling me to disarm 
her, she doubtless would have done me a serious 
injury. 

The struggle was momentary and noiseless, so 
it disturbed no one; however, the prisoner rose as 
if to assist his ally. Pointing my pistol at him I 
made him return to his original position ; but it 
was with the air of one foiled not conquered that he 
did it. 

Soon after I was relieved, and never in life from 
so distasteful a duty. 

It might have been an hour from dawn. Sound 
had been my sleep, though far from free of dreams, 
when I was recalled to consciousness by the sharp 
report of a gun, and the springing up of the various 
forms that reclined around me. In a moment I com- 
prehended the situation. Antoine had escaped, and 
unquestionably through the assistance of the devoted 
Indian girl. 

Immediate search was instituted, but by the time 
the sun had risen, all had returned to camp unsuc- 



A YEAK IN THE WILDERNESS. 287 

cessf al from want of light to follow the fugitive's 
track. 

But the Indians were not to be foiled thus easily, 
and resolute and indomitable as bloodhounds, they 
bided but their time to renew their search ; however, 
the object of their pursuit had gained two hours' 
law, and if fortune smiled propitiously, his chance 
of escape looked most promising. 

The smoke that had attracted my attention yester- 
day had now become unpleasantly stifling, yet my com- 
rades thought nothing of it — if there was danger surely 
they would be aware of it, I argued, and thus satisfied 
myself, saying nothing, but following the party in 
Indian file, while they searched every bush and blade 
of grass for indications of the fugitive's trail. We soon 
found it, and, at a pace that sorely pressed me, it was 
pursued, and what direction did it lead ? further and 
further into the dense, stifling smoke. We had been 
in pursuit about three hours, when a distant dead-like 
roar, occasionally interrupted by crashes as if caused 
by the fall of heavj^ timber, struck on my ear; nearer 
and nearer we approached it, till there remained no 
doubt that we were advancing towards a giant forest 
fire. I pointed out this, called upon the Indians to 
halt, to turn back and seek a place of safety, but a 
most unwilling ear did they lend. At length, sparks 



288 LONE LIFE : 

of fire could be distinctly seen floating over the tree- 
tops, and with a deeply uttered anathema and curse 
they found themselves compelled to desist from fur- 
ther pursuit. But what had become of Antoine, with 
hell in his heart and murder on his brow ? He 
preferred trusting himself to the devouring element, 
to trusting to the tender mercies of his own race. 

Once we commenced to retire ; our retreat was 
most precipitous, for it was more than doubtful 
whether we could succeed in gaining a place of 
safety. Long, severe, and rapid was our march; 
but swiftly as we fled, swifter far followed the un- 
controllable fire. 

Again and again I feared I could no longer endure 
the exertion, but a love of life and a horror to suffer 
such a death lent me fresh energy. But the human 
frame could not withstand such exertion long, and 
full well I felt that unless a river w T as soon found, 
that my last tramp, last hunting expedition had been 
performed. 

So near was the conflagration now that we were 
actually amid glowing embers and ashes ; thicker 
and faster they followed our retreating steps, till 
all were in momentary peril. Yet the Indians 
never murmured, showed no indication of fear, but 
moodily, still energetically, stalked forward. A 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 2&U 

quarter of an hour more of this would settle the mat- 
ter, I felt convinced; in fact, that to prolong the agony 
further was useless. But again an inward monitor 
would whisper, " Be a man, show yourself worthy of 
your race, rememember that while there is life 
there is hope." Still it appeared madness to hope; 
behind was a wall of flame hunting us down with the 
persistency that the sleuth hound pursues the deer — 
two hundred, three hundred yards more, and then — 
yes, that is the point ; but what do the Indians see, 
for they increase their pace ? I strain my eyes to 
learn. Can it be — yes it is — a river, for the wood 
has become thin and daylight shines in broken in- 
tervals through it ; forward ! forward ! and, worn 
out, footsore, scorched, I rush waist deep in the 
rushing water. 

A week or more had passed since my escape, when 
I found myself back at the shanty. The poor Indian 
girl was dead — having died only a day previous to our 
return, so I was only allowed to pay her the last 
honour that the living can offer to the dead. 

Under the birch-tree, beside Skve, she rests — a 
flower of the forest plucked by the cruel destroyer 
before it bloomed. 

VOL. II. u 



290 LONE LIFE: 

On still air fell 
No solemn knell 
Of steeple bell 
Rung for the dead. 

No incense fume — 
No stately plume 
Of sable gloom 
O'erdeck'd her bed. 

No taper light, 
No choral rite, 
No priestly might 
Her soul delayed. 

No loved ones weep, 
None vigil keep — 
All lie asleep — 
No prayers are said. 

But angel band 
With loving hand 
At God's command, 
Guard round her head. 

Every hour that my departure for civilisation was 
delayed, irritated and fretted me; the beautiful 
scenery, the handsome trees and picturesque rapids 
ceased to be attractive, and I longed, I cannot say 
how ardently, for the moment to arrive when I should 
turn my back on all — yes, and hoped that I never 
should gaze upon them again. I could not sleep or 
even rest, everything palled upon me, and made 
me long for friends and relatives. 



A YEAR IN THE WILDERNESS. 291 

The assiduous attention of my Indian boy, ever 
true and ever grateful to me, were distasteful, but 
Poteen, the half-bred colley, avoided me as if I were 
rabid. 

The passage of time may be slow, but cannot be 
brought to an anchor, and the desired morning at 
length broke,, cold and cheerless, but the season of 
the year was now so late that otherwise could scarcely 
be anticipated, and fortunately a lowering morning 
does not always predict a sunless day. 

My escort, which consisted of four volunteers and 
the boy, had left the shanty with the last load, and 
I was alone, taking a final survey of my premises, to 
see for myself that nothing was left behind, when 
the old chief entered. Our intimacy had taught 
him to shake hands, and as he came forward he held 
out his honest nut-brown palm ; I took it in mine 
and held it for some minutes without a word being 
spoken — it was evident his heart was too full for 
language to express his feelings. At length words 
came to his relief, and again for the fourth or fifth 
time he begged me to delay my departure till the 
spring, pointing out in the most vivid terms the 
dangers that must surround so long a journey at this 
season of the year. I was well aware that there was 
truth in every word he said, but I would have risked 



292 LONE LIFE : 

more than life, to being imprisoned here for possibly 
half a year. When the good old man found my 
decision was unchangeable, his stoicism fairly broke 
down and a diamond tear glistened in each eye, 
while his intonation became thick and indistinct. 
To witness grief and tears in woman is truly bad 
enough, u but talk not of grief till thou hast seen 
the tears of warlike men," and truly the poetess wrote 
correctly, for I had the greatest difficulty in subdu- 
ing my tendency to do likewise. An embrace, a 
muttered prayer to the Great Spirit to protect me was 
uttered, and so terminated the interview. 

Scarcely daring to look back, I took my seat, the 
canoe glided from the shore, and soon a turn in the 
river was passed that shut out probably for ever my 
wilderness home. 

We were in the lightest travelling order, for I 
had given away all I possessed which was not abso- 
lutely required for my journey ; thus we sped rapidly 
onwards, and ere darkness came had traversed many 
miles. 

For a week each day was a repetition of its pre- 
decessor. Cold, bitter cold at night, with a bright 
warm sun at noon ; still my companions ceased not 
their labour or gave utterance to a murmur. 

As we completed our water navigation, the weather 



A YEAE IN THE WILDEENESS. 293 

broke, and so severe was the frost and heavy the 
fall of snow, that for a week we were forced to 
halt. A more trying ordeal I never endured, and, 
but for the Indians, could not have existed through it ; 
but their knowledge of expediencies overcame what 
to the white man must have proved his grave. 

Again the journey was renewed, and after a long 
and wearisome march, exactly such a tramp as the 
French experienced in their retreat from Moscow, 
we reached the village of Rama on Lake Couch- 
achin. 

My liabilities to my gallant escort settled, I left 
then for Orillia in a sleigh drawn by a fast horse, 
the last sight of my old friends being obtained 
through a break in the woodland that displayed a 
view of the village. As I left them so they stood, 
unwilling to depart till they had seen the last sight 
of the white wanderer. 

The sudden stopping of the train awoke me from 
a long and most refreshing sleep; I looked forth, 
day was breaking, and the white houses of Albany 
reposed in the distance. City of Albany, whate'er 
you may boast of, you have reason to be proud of the 
fair queen of song that claims thee for her home. 
Mademoiselle Albani I mean, sweetest cantatrice I 
e'er have listened to. 

VOL. II. X 



294 LONE LIFE. 

As the train again stops, a hundred voices de- 
mand to know which hotel I intend residing at. 
The Windsor in Fifth Avenue is my choice, and 
never, I can safely affirm, did I reside at so charming 
and comfortable an establishment. 

I am again in civilisation, but not home. The 
noble ship Java, of the staunch and true Cunard 
Company, sails on Wednesday. At the appointed 
hour I got on board, and in spite of gales and fogs 
Liverpool is reached on the tenth day, and I look 
back with mingled pleasure and regret upon my year 
of Lone Life. 



the END. 



LONDON: 
C. WHITING, BEAUFORT HOUSE, DUKE-STREET, LINOOLN'S-INN-FIELD 










LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




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